UC-NRLF 


LIBRARY- 

OK   THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


OK 


Received 
Accession  No. 


.  /« 

~~K    .    C/&ss  A/o.   ' 


STEPHEN    GIRARD 
BY    LAMBERT,    FROM    ORIGINAL    BY   OTIS.      LIBRARY,    GIRARD   COLLEGE. 


1848-1898. 


OF 


GIRARD  COLLEGE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  OF  STEPHEN  GIRARD, 
HIS  WILL,  AND  OTHER  PAPERS  RELATING 
TO  THE  COLLEGE  AND  ITS  DEVELOP- 
MENT AND  GOVERNMENT. 


ACCOUNT  OF  THE   EXERCISES  ON  THE  OCCASION 

OF  THE  CELEBRATION  OF  THE  OPENING 

OF   THE   COLLEGE, 


JANUARY  3,  1898. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

GIRARD    COLLEGE. 
1898. 


<*& 


7'  7  *~* 

AT  the  request  of  the  Committee  in  charge  of  the  cele- 
bration this  book  is  edited  by 


-  GIRARD  COLLEGE, 

January,  1898. 


GEORGE  P.  RUPP. 

Librarian. 


PRESS   OF 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY, 
PHILADELPHIA. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 5 

PREFATORY  NOTE  BY  THE  EDITOR n 

FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE  OPENJNG  OF  GIRARD  COLLEGE,  BY  MR. 

FRANK  M.  HIGH  LEY 13 

ORDER  OF  EXERCISES. 
2.3O  F*.  1M. 

PRAYER  BY  WINTHROP  D.  SHELDON,  A.M 23 

INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS  BY  JOSEPH  L.  CAVEN,  ESQ 25 

ADDRESS  BY  HON.  CHARLES  F.  WARWICK 28 

ADDRESS  BY  HON.  MARRIOTT  BROSIUS 36 

ADDRESS  BY  MR.  THOMAS  P.  LONSDALE,  '71 53 

8  P.  M. 

PRAYER  BY  MR.  BENJAMIN  B.  COMEGYS 59 

INTRODUCTORY  REMARKS  BY  GENERAL  Louis  WAGNER 62 

HISTORICAL  ADDRESS  BY  ADAM  H.  FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D.     .    .    ,  66 

ADDRESS  BY  HON.  THOMAS  B.   REED 81 

REMARKS  BY  THE  CHAIRMAN 89 

ADDRESS  BY  ETHELBERT  D.  WARFIELD,  LL.D 92 

ADDRESS  BY  MR.  THEODORE  L.  DEBow,  '57 99 

APPENDIX. 

STEPHEN   GIRARD — "MARINER  AND   MERCHANT."     A   BIOGRAPHICAL 

SKETCH  BY  MR.  GEORGE  P.  RUPP 109 

WILL  OF  STEPHEN  GIRARD .  .  .  118 

GIRARD  COLLEGE  :  ITS  ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION,  BY  MR. 

WILLIAM  H.  ZELLER,  '72 154 

GIRARD  COLLEGE:  ITS  ENDOWMENT  AND  MAINTENANCE,  BY  MR. 

GEORGE  E.  KIRKPATRICK 167 

GIRARD  COLLEGE  :  ITS  TRAINING  AND  THE  RESULTS,  BY  JOHN  S. 

BOYD,  M.D 177 

3 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


FACING  PAGE 

PORTRAIT  OF  STEPHEN  GIRARD Frontispiece. 

BUILDINGS  Nos.   i  AND  2 13 

EAST  PLAYGROUND 23 

MAIN  BUILDING 25 

STATUE  AND  SARCOPHAGUS     28 

LIBRARY 36 

DEPARTMENT  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 53 

CHAPEL  AND  BUILDING  No.  10 59 

GROUNDS  LOOKING  EAST 62 

BUILDING  No.  8 66 

DINING-ROOM 72 

BUILDING  No.  9 81 

MANUAL  TRAINING  SCHOOL  BUILDING 92 

WOOD-WORKING  DEPARTMENT 99 

STATUE  OF  STEPHEN  GIRARD,  CITY  HALL  PLAZA 109 

BATTALION  OF  CADETS  ON  WEST  PLAYGROUND 177 


Semi-Centennial 
Anniversary 


GIRARD  COLLEGE 

PHILADELPHIA 

JANUARY  3,  1898 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


Order  of 


MONDAY,  JANUARY  3,  1898 

2.30  P.  M. 


i.  flection—"  Narcissus"      . 

2. 


WINTHROP   D.  SHELDON,  A.M. 

Vice-  President  of  Girard  College 

3.  Introdactor^  Remarks  b^  tl)e  Chairman 

JOSEPH  L.  CAVEN,  ESQ. 
Vice-  President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts 

(  a  "  Vesper  Hymn" 
>mS~  \  b  "  The  Happy  Miller" 


5 

HON.  CHARLES   F.  WARWICK 

Mayor  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia 
^.  liJaltfc—"  Abandoned"       ....       Waldteufel 


tfON.  MARRIOTT   BROSIUS 

Member*  of  Congress,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

&.  H^mn  —  "  Hail  Columbia" 

9.  Address 

THOMAS  P.  LONSDALE,  '71 

President  Girard  College  Alumni 
to.  3etotion  —  "  Genevieve  de  Brabant"         .  .         Offenbach 


The  Instrumental  Music  will  be  furnished  by  the 

GIRARD  COLLEGE   BAND,  GEORGE  S.  REYNOLDS,  Leader 

and  the  Vocal  Music  by  the 
PUPILS  OF  GIRARD  COLLEGE,  JERRY  MARCH,  Leader 


ORDER    OF    EXERCISES. 


Order  of 


MONDAY,  JANUARY  3,  1898 

8.00  P.  M. 


1.  Aarcf)  —  "  The  Stars  and  Stripes  Forever"        . 

2.  Praver 

MR.  B.  B.  COMEGYS 
Member  .of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts 

3.  Introductory  Remarks  H  tf)e  Chairman 

GEN.  LOUIS  WAGNER 
President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts 

4.  Caprice  —  "  Hearts  and  Flowers"          .  . 


Sousa 


Tobani 


5.  Historical  (Jddres3 

ADAM   H.  FETTEROLF,  LL.D. 

President  of  Girard  College 

—  "  Popular  Melodies"  .  .  .          Beyer 


HON.  THOMAS  B.  REED 
Speaker  of  House  of  Representatives,  Washington,  D.  C. 

&.  <iems  from  tf>e  "  Bohemian  Girl"       .  .  .         TZalfe 

9.  Address* 


HON.  DANIEL   H.  HASTINGS 
Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania 

10.  Aedlev  Overtwe  —  "National  Airs"     .  .  . 

11.  Addre^ 

THEODORE  L.  DEBOW,  '57 
One  of  the  First  Hundred  Boys  admitted  into  the  College 

13.  Aarcl)—  "El  Capitan"  .... 


Coates 


Sousa 


The  Music  will  be  furnished  by  the 

FIRST   REGIMENT  ORCHESTRA,  S.  H.  KENDLE,  Leader 


*  In   the   absence  of  Governor   Hastings,   Ethelbert   D.  Warfield,   LL.D.,    President   of  Lafayette 
College,  delivered  an  address. 


IO  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts 


LOUIS  WAGNER,  President 

JOSEPH   L.  CAVEN,  Vice-President 

ALEXANDER   BIDDLE  JOHN   K.  CUMING 

EDWARD  S.  BUCKLEY  WILLIAM   L.  ELKINS 

JOHN   M.  CAMPBELL  JOHN   H.  MICHENER 

BENJAMIN   B.  COMEGYS  DALLAS  SANDERS 

JOHN  H.  CONVERSE  EDWIN  S.  STUART 

Members  of  the  Board  "Ex  Officio" 

CHARLES  F.  WARWICK,  Mayor 
JAMES  L.  MILES,  Pres't  Select  Council 
WENCEL  HARTMAN,  Pres't  Common  Council 

FRANK  M.  HIGHLEY,  Secretary  HON.  F.  CARROLL  BREWSTER,  Solicitor 


Faculty  of  Girard  College 


ADAM   H.  FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D.,  President 
WINTHROP  D.  SHELDON,  A.M.,  Vice-President 

GEORGE  J.  BECKER  .  WARREN   HOLDEN,  A.M. 

N.  WILEY  THOMAS,  PH.D.  JAMES   N.  WALKER,  A.M. 

FREDERICK   PRIME,  A.M.,  PH.D.  JOHN    K.  HARLEY,  M.E. 

PIERRE  FRANCOIS  GIROUD  CAPT.  FRANK  A.  EDWARDS 

Licencie  es  Lettres  (Univ.  of  France)  ist  Cavalry,  U.  S.  A. 

CALIXTO  GUITERAS,  C.E.  ARCHIBALD  COBB 

C.  ADDISON   WILLIS,  M.E.  MISS   MARIAN    B.  HERITAGE 

Librarian,  GEORGE  P.  RUPP 

Philadelphia,  January  i,  1898 


PREFATORY   NOTE 


Time  tries  all  the  thoughts  and  inventions  of  man. 

In  contemplating  the  progress  of  some  great  idea,  time 
takes  the  place  of  perspective  and  plays  the  same  part  that 
distance  does  when  we  would  comprehend  the  beauty  and 
grandeur  of  a  cathedral.  Then  we  stand  by  the  side  of  the 
architect,  and  see  the  building  as  he  saw  it  in  the  secret 
chambers  of  his  mind. 

So  the  Semi-Centennial  of  Girard  College  afforded  us 
similar  conditions  in  the  contemplation  of  the  ideas  of 
Stephen  Girard.  Different  from  other  educational  centres, 
his  College  is  not  merely  a  name,  but  it  represents  the  real 
plan  and  belief  of  the  Founder.  Nowhere  is  there  such 
an  exhibition  of  one  man's  thought  and  work.  The  ideas 
of  the  Founder  have  been  carried  out  by  those  administer- 
ing them  with  an  eye  single,  to  his  wishes,  and  the  best 
results  have  flowed  from  a  rigid  construction  of  his  words. 

That  these  results  are  potent  fifty  years  after  his  death 
posterity  may  partly  gather  from  this  volume.  Posterity 
will  not,  however,  be  able  to  comprehend  the  environ- 
ments of  the  day  celebrated,  the  great  gathering  of  dis- 
tinguished citizens,  of  graduates  who  had  gone  forth 
equipped  for  the  battle  of  life,  of  pupils  who  are  being 
trained  for  useful  lives;  the  stately  buildings  and  decora- 
tions, the  brilliant  illumination,  and,  finally,  the  air  of  fes- 
tivity which  no  description  can  reproduce.  But  the  ad- 


12  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF   GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

dresses  are  here,  and  these  will  convey  to  the  reader  the 
thoughts  of  the  orators. 

If  the  Founder  is  conscious  of  what  has  been  and  is  now 
being  done  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  wishes,  we  may  feel 
assured  that  he  is  satisfied  with  the  efforts  that  are  being 
made  to  care  for  and  protect  the  orphan. 

G.  P.  R. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


FIFTIETH    ANNIVERSARY    OF    THE   OPENING 
OF  GIRARD   COLLEGE 

January  i,  1848.  January  3,  1898. 

BY  FRANK   M.  HIGHLEY, 
Secretary,  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts. 


At  a  stated  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  City 
Trusts,  held  at  their  office,  No.  120  South  Third  Street, 
Philadelphia,  on  Wednesday  afternoon,  June  9,  1897,  the 
President  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  on  January  i, 
1898,  would  occur  the  Semi-Centennial  Anniversary  of 
the  Girard  College  for  Orphans,  it  having  been  formally 
opened,  with  appropriate  exercises,  on  January  i,  1848, 
and  suggested  that  an  event  of  so  much  importance  should 
be  celebrated  in  a  manner  commensurate  with  the  world- 
wide renown  of  the  College  and  its  noble  Founder. 

Mr.  Benjamin  B.  Comegys  offered  the  following  reso- 
lution, which  was  unanimously  adopted: 

".Resolved,  That  the  Executive  Committee  be,  and  it  is  hereby,  instructed  to 
report  a  plan  for  the  proper  celebration  of  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  the  formal 
and  official  opening  of  Girard  College  on  January  I,  1898." 

The  Chairmen  of  the  several  standing  Committees,  with 
the  President  of  the  Board,  constitute  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, as  follows:  Messrs.  Louis  Wagner,  President;  John 
H.  Michener,  Alexander  Biddle,  Benjamin  B.  Comegys, 
Joseph  L.  Caven,  John  H.  Converse,  Edward  S.  Buckley, 
and  William  L.  Elkins. 

13 


14  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

The  Committee,  after  fully  considering  the  matter  re- 
ferred to  them,  submitted  a  plan  for  the  celebration,  which 
was  adopted  by  the  Board.  After  a  number  of  meetings, 
the  whole  subject  was  referred  to  a  special  Sub-Committee, 
consisting  of  Messrs.  Wagner,  Michener,  Caven,  and  Con- 
verse. 

The  first  day  of  January  being  a  legal  holiday  and  falling 
on  Saturday,  it  was  agreed  to  celebrate  the  event  on  the 
afternoon  and  evening  of  January  3. 

The  exercises  were  divided  into  two  parts, — the  one  in 
the  afternoon  to  be  for  the  officials  and  pupils  of  the  Col- 
lege and  the  Alumni  under  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and 
the  evening  meeting  for  the  older  Alumni  and  the  invited 
guests.  Over  five  thousand  invitations  were  sent  to  Na- 
tional, State  and  City  officials,  prominent  educators,  the 
graduates  of  the  College,  and  other  distinguished  citizens. 

On  the  day  of  the  celebration,  the  weather  was  most 
propitious  and  beautiful. 

The  guests  of  the  College  were  invited  to  thoroughly 
inspect  the  Institution  and  to  observe  the  liberal  pro- 
visions made  for  the  comfort  and  care  of  the  pupils  and 
of  the  staff  of  the  College.  The  grounds  and  buildings 
were  brilliantly  illuminated  by  electric  lights,  and  from  the 
central  flag-staff  the  flag  of  the  United  States  and  the  tri- 
color of  France  spread  their  folds  to  the  breeze. 

The  monument  on  the  College  grounds,  erected  in  mem- 
ory of  the  graduates  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  suppression 
of  the  Rebellion,  was  draped  in  the  national  colors.  (The 
bronze  statue  of  Mr.  Girard,  on  the  City  Hall  Plaza,  had 
been  adorned  with  a  large  laurel  wreath  and  with  streamers 
of  the  College  colors,  and  in  the  evening  it  was  illuminated 
by  electric  lights.) 


FIFTIETH    ANNIVERSARY   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE.  15 

In  the  south  vestibule  of  the  Main  Building  the  statue 
and  sarcophagus  of  the  Founder  were  enclosed  in  a  minia- 
ture representation  of  the  beautiful  Main  Building,  which 
was  handsomely  illuminated  by  electric  lights  and  profusely 
decorated  with  smilax  and  other  plants  and  flowers,  pre- 
senting a  brilliant  scene  which  was  admired  by  everybody 
within  the  enclosure,  as  well  as  by  the  large  crowds  of 
people  who  gathered  about  the  main  entrance  gates  of  the 
College,  and  were  thus  enabled  to  view  it  from  a  distance. 

The  afternoon  and  evening  exercises  were  held  in  the 
Chapel,  which  was  decorated  with  evergreens,  plants,  and 
bunting. 

In  front  of  the  memorial  window  of  President  Allen,  at 
the  rear  of  the  platform,  hung  a  full  length  oil  painting  of 
Mr.  Girard,  which  was  kindly  loaned  by  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  of  Pennsylvania;  under- 
neath gleamed  in  figures  of  light,  the  legend  "  1848-1898." 

The  ceremonies  of  the  celebration  began  promptly  at 
2.30  P.M.,  with  Joseph  L.  Caven,  Esq.,  Vice-President  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts,  as  the  presiding 
officer,  and  consisted  of  a  prayer  by  W.  D.  Sheldon,  A.  M., 
Vice-President  of  the  College;  introductory  remarks  by 
the  Chairman  and  addresses  by  Honorable  Charles  F.  War- 
wick, Mayor  of  the  City,  Honorable  Marriott  Brosius, 
Member  of  the  United  States  Congress,  from  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Thomas  P.  Lonsdale,  President  of  the 
Alumni  of  Girard  College,  and  vocal  and  instrumental 
music  by  the  pupils  and  the  Band  of  the  College. 

During  the  performance  of  the  musical  selection  which 
marked  the  close  of  the  afternoon  exercises,  Honorable 
Thomas  B.  Reed,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 


1 6  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

tives,  appeared  upon  the  platform,  escorted  by  General 
Louis  Wagner.  The  fifteen  hundred  pupils  instantly  rose 
and  greeted  the  distinguished  visitor  with  cheers  of  wel- 
come, and  the  applause  was  renewed  when  Chairman 
Caven  said: 

"  Boys,  I  present  to  you  our  honored  guest." 

Mr.  Reed  came  forward  and  addressed  the  boys  as 
follows: 

"  Young  gentlemen, — for  all  of  you  aspire  to  that  title, 
or  I  hope  you  will  some  day, — I  am  very  much  delighted 
to  see  you;  and  I  am  going  to  make  you  much  delighted 
to  see  me  by  informing  you  that  I  am  forbidden  to  make 
a  discourse.  I  content  myself  simply  with  wishing  you 
not  only  '  A  Happy  New  Year,'  but  many  of  them." 

The  building  was  filled  by  a  large  and  appreciative  audi- 
ence. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  afternoon  exercises,  a  reception 
and  dinner  were  given  in  Building  No.  7  by  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  City  Trusts  to  their  distinguished  guest,  Hon- 
orable Thomas  B.  Reed,  to  which  many  prominent  resi- 
dents of  the  City  and  State  were  invited.  This  portion  of 
the  celebration  was  under  the  direct  charge  and  personal 
supervision  of  Mr.  John  H.  Michener,  Chairman  of  the 
Committee  on  Household,  and,  as  was  to  be  expected  from 
his  broad  experience,  was  complete  in  all  its  details,  the 
dining-room  being  a  scene  of  rare  beauty,  with  handsome 
and  elaborate  decorations  of  electric  lights,  bunting,  palms, 
and  plants;  on  the  tables  were  placed  large  bunches  of 
American  Beauty  roses  and  other  flowers.  During  the 
reception  and  dinner,  the  music  was  furnished  by  a  fine 
orchestra. 


FIFTIETH    ANNIVERSARY    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


Promptly  at  8  P.M.  Honorable  Thomas  B.  Reed,  the 
orator  of  the  evening,  escorted  by  the  Board  of  Directors, 
and  the  invited  guests  entered  the  Chapel  and  occupied 
the  platform. 

An  audience  composed  of  graduates  and  distinguished 
citizens  crowded  the  auditorium,  the  front  seats  being  oc- 
cupied by  many  of  the  Class  of  1848. 

General  Louis  Wagner,  Presicfent  of  the  Board  of  Di- 
rectors of  City  Trusts,  presided.  The  programme  con- 
sisted of  a  prayer  by  Mr.  Benjamin  B.  Comegys,  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Directors;  introductory  remarks  by  the 
presiding  officer;  an  historical  address  by  A.  H.  Fetterolf, 
LL.D.,  President  of  the  College,  the  oration  by  the  Honor- 
able Thomas  B.  Reed;  and  addresses  by  Ethelbert  D.  War- 
field,  LL.D.,  President  of  Lafayette  College,  and  Mr.  Theo- 
dore L.  DeBow,  one  of  the  first  one  hundred  boys  admitted 
into  the  College,  and  instrumental  music  by  the  First  Regi- 
ment Orchestra. 

The  several  addresses  were  appropriate  to  the  occasion, 
admirable  in  diction  and  eloquent  in  delivery,  and  all  the 
exercises  were  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  enthusiastic  audi- 
ence, especially  the  peculiar  mode  in  which  the  Chairman 
introduced  the  orator  of  the  evening.  _  He  said: 

"  Mr.  Reed,  I  have  great  pleasure  in  presenting  to  you 
these  ladies  and  gentleman,  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  largely 
Alumni  of  Girard  College,  who  have  gathered  to  hear  you 
talk  to  them  on  this  important  occasion." 

This  reversal  of  the  usual  form  of  introduction  caused 
much  amusement,  and  was  received  with  great  applause. 
A  tumultuous  greeting  was  given  to  Mr.  Reed,  and  the 
audience  listened  to  his  address  with  close  attention. 


1 8  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

And  thus  ended  a  most  fitting  celebration  of  the  open- 
ing of  an  Institution  whose  influence  for  good  during  the 
fifty  years  of  its  existence  is  shown  in  the  lives  of  the 
nearly  six  thousand  boys  who  have  been  admitted  to  its 
care;  and  these,  and  other  thousands  yet  to  follow  as  pupils 
in  and  graduates  of  Girard  College,  will  tell  during  all  time 
of  the  boundless  charity  of  its  Founder. 


GUESTS  AT  THE  DINNER  AND  RECEPTION  TENDERED 
HONORABLE  THOMAS  B.  REED. 


ADAMS,  HON.  ROBERT,  JR. 
ARNOLD,  HON.  MICHAEL 
ASHMAN,  HON.  WILLIAM  N. 

AUDENREID,   HON.  CHARLES  Y. 

AUSTIN,  WILLIAM  L. 
BEATH,  COL.  ROBERT  B. 
BECK,  HON.  JAMES  M. 
BEITLER,  HON.  ABRAHAM  M. 
BELL,  JOHN  C. 
BIDDLE,  COL.  ALEXANDER 
BINGHAM,  HON.  HENRY  H. 
BIRKINBINE,  JOHN 
BLAKELY,  JOHN 
BOYD,  DR.  JOHN  S. 
BREWSTER,  FRANCIS  E. 
BROOKS,  PROF.  EDWARD 
BROSIUS,  HON.  MARRIOTT 
BUCKLEY,  EDWARD  S. 
BURK,  ADDISON  B. 
CAMPBELL,  JOHN  MARIE 
CAVEN,  JAMES 
CAVEN,  JOSEPH  L. 
CLOTHIER,  CLARKSON 
COGGESHALL,  THELLWELL  R. 
COMEGYS,  BENJAMIN  B. 
CONVERSE,  JOHN  H. 
COOPER,  HON.  PETER  L. 
CROZER,  SAMUEL  A. 
CUMING,  JOHN  K. 
CUNNINGHAM,  ERNEST 
DsBow,  THEODORE  L. 
DEGARMO,  PROF.  CHARLES 
EDWARDS,  CAPT.  FRANK  A. 
ELKINS,  WILLIAM  L. 
ELVERSON,  JAMES 


FELL,  HON.  D.  NEWLIN 
FERGUSON,  HON.  JOSEPH  C. 
FETTEROLF,  ADAM  H.,  LL.D. 
FORST,  DR.  JOHN  R. 
GUITERAS,  PROF.  CALIXTO 
HANNA,  HON.  WILLIAM  B. 
HARLEY,  PROF.  JOHN  K. 
HARRISON,  CHARLES  C.,  LL.D. 
HARTMAN,  WENCEL 
HENSEL,  GEORGE  F. 
HIGH  LEY,  FRANK  M. 
HOLDEN,  PROF.  WARREN 
HOUSTON,  PROF.  EDWIN  J. 
JANNEY,  DR.  WILLIAM  S. 
JUNKIN,  JOSEPH  DE  F. 
KAERCHER,  SAMUEL  H. 
KENDRICK,  GEORGE  W.,  JR. 
KILPATRICK,  WILLIAM  H. 
KIRKPATRICK,  GEORGE  E. 
LAMBERT,  MAJOR  WILLIAM  H. 
LONSDALE,  THOMAS  P. 
LUDWIG,  PROF.  DEB.  K. 
MACALISTER,  PROF.  JAMES 
MACVEAGH,  HON.  WAYNE 
MCALEER,  HON.  WlLLLAM 
MCLEAN,  WILLIAM  L. 
MCMICHAEL,  HON.  CHARLES  B. 
MICHENER,  CHARLES  G. 
MICHENER,  JOHN  H. 
MICHENER,  J.  HANSON,  JR. 
MILES,  JAMES  L. 
MOORE,  ALFRED 
MORWITZ,  JOSEPH 
MUMFORD,  JOSEPH  P. 
NEILSON,  WILLIAM  G. 

19 


UNIVERSIT 


20 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


PATTON,  ALFRED  G. 

PAXSON,  HON.  EDWARD  M. 

PENNYPACKER,  HON.  SAMUEL  W. 

PERRINS,  THOMAS 

PESOLI,  EDWARD  A. 

PRATT,  CAPT.  R.  H. 

PRIME,  PROF.  FREDERICK 

QUICK,  HARRY  W. 

REDNER,  LEWIS  H. 

ROBINSON,  THOMAS  A. 

RUPP,  GEORGE  P. 

SANDERS,  DALLAS 

SCOTT,  SAMUEL  G. 

SEARCH,  THEODORE  C. 

SHARPLESS,  ISAAC,  LL.D. 

SHELDON,  PROF.  WINTHROP  D. 

SHRIGLEY,  JOHN  M. 

SMITH,  HON.  CHARLES  EMORY 

SNOWDEN,  COL.  A.  LOUDON 

SPARHAWK,  JOHN,  JR. 

ZESINGER, 


STONE,  DR.  JAMES  F. 
STUART,  HON.  EDWIN  S. 
THOMAS,  PROF.  N.  WILEY 
THOMPSON,  MAJOR  HEBER  S 
UNRATH,  FREDERICK 
VAUCLAIN,  SAMUEL  M. 
WAGNER,  MAJOR  EMIL  C. 
WAGNER,  GEN.  Louis 
WAGNER,  Louis  M. 
WALKER,  DR.  J.  B. 
WALTON,  CAPT.  JOHN  M. 
WARFIELD,  ETHELBERT  D.,  LL.D. 
WARWICK,  HON.  CHARLES  F. 
WATERALL,  WILLIAM 
WEED,  PROF.  GEORGE  L. 
WILLIAMS,  HON.  HENRY  W. 
WILLSON,  HON.  ROBERT  N. 
WILTBANK,  HON.  WILLIAM  W. 
WINDRIM,  JAMES  H. 
WINDRIM,  JOHN  T. 
FRANK  O. 


EXERCISES-2.30  P.M. 


21 


Of  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


"it. 


PRAYER 

BY  WINTHROP  D.  SHELDON,  A.M., 
Vice- President  of  Girard  College. 


Let  us  seek  the  Divine  blessing. 

Almighty  and  everlasting  God  and  Father  of  all,  we 
gather  in  Thy  presence  on  this  anniversary  day  with  the 
voice  of  thanksgiving.  We  recall  with  gratitude  and 
praise  Thy  favoring  Providence,  which  has  so  richly 
blessed  and  prospered  this  school  during  all  the  years  of  its 
history.  Thou  didst  breathe  into  the  heart  of  its  Founder 
those  benevolent  impulses  and  emotions,  which  prompted 
him  to  plan  for  it  so  thoughtfully  and  to  endow  it  so  gen- 
erously. Thou  hast  bestowed  wisdom  and  devotion  upon 
those  who  from  the  beginning  have  been  called  to  direct 
its  affairs.  And  to  the  officers  and  teachers  whom  these 
passing  years  have  united  here  in  this  labor  of  love,  this 
blessed  ministry  to  childhood  and  youth,  Thou  hast  given 
faithfulness  and  zeal  and  the  divine  spirit  of  consecration. 
We  bring  Thee  hearty  thanks  for  the  heritage  of  noble 
example  and  of  faithful  endeavor  which  those  who  have 
gone  to  their  reward  have  left  behind  them  here.  And  we 
beseech  Thee,  that  in  all  the  years  to  come  there  may  be 
found  those  who  shall  be  worthy  to  follow  them,  to  carry 
forward  this  work  and  prosecute  it  to  higher  and  yet  more 
precious  results.  May  the  benediction  of  Heaven  ever 
abide  upon  this  Institution;  upon  those  who  administer  its 

23 


1   24  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

affairs,  that  they  may  guard  its  interests  wisely  and  with 
singleness  of  heart;  upon  the  children  and  youth  intrusted 
to  its  care,  that  they  may  receive  such  training  as  shall  fit 
them  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  usefulness 
and  service  to  their  fellow-men;  and  upon  its  officers  and 
instructors,  that  they  may  be  endued  with  wisdom  and 
grace  from  above,  with  the  spirit  of  the  Great  Teacher, 
who  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister.  And 
to  Thee  shall  be  the  praise  now  and  evermore.  Amen. 


I 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS 

BY  JOSEPH   L.  CAVEN,  ESQ., 
V ice-President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts. 


PUPILS  OF  GIRARD  COLLEGE: — In  celebrating  this 
Semi-Centennial  Anniversary  of  your  College,  it  is  fitting 
you  first  should  be  gathered  here;  that  you  should  be  im- 
pressed as  you  never  have  been  with  the. magnitude  and 
munificence  of  this  greatest  of  all  bounties  to  the  orphan 
boy. 

Conceived  in  the  mind  and  heart  of  Stephen  Girard — 
childless  and  alone  as  he  was — the  seed  he  planted  has  be- 
come a  great  tree,  the  stream  has  become  a  great  river, 
bearing  hundreds  into  avenues  of  industry  and  prosperity 
that  might  otherwise  have  been  wrecked  in  the  passage  of 
life. 

Fifty  years  ago,  the  great  plan  mapped  out  by  Mr.  Gi- 
rard was  accomplished  in  the  erection  and  completion  of 
suitable  buildings;  100  boys  were  then  admitted,  the  roll 
of  the  College  now  numbers  over  1500;  its  annual  expense 
was  then  about  $47,000,  it  is  now  $500,000. 

The  beautiful  Main  Building,  after  the  design  of  a  Greek 
temple,  with  its  marble  portico  and  thirty-four  massive 
Corinthian  columns,  and  four  smaller  buildings,  two  east 
and  two  west  of  the  Main  Building,  then  stood  alone;  now 
fourteen  other  buildings,  constructed  in  harmony,  stand 
on  the  grounds  with  those  completed  fifty  years  ago,  all 

25 


26  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

fully  equipped,  affording  you  a  home,  a  training,  and  an 
education  hard  to  excel. 

This  College  has  kept  pace  with  the  outside  world. 
What  is  now  the  city  of  Philadelphia  then  had  500,000  in- 
habitants, now  1,200,000. 

The  State  of  Pennsylvania  has  grown  from  two  and 
one-half  millions  to  six  millions  of  people;  its  mountains, 
valleys  and  plains  are  netted  with  railways;  beneath  its 
surface  great  mines  of  iron  and  coal  have  added  to  the 
material  wealth  of  the  great  Commonwealth. 

California  was  then  admitted  as  a  State  of  the  Union. 
It  was  reached  from  the  East  by  a  long  and  dangerous 
ocean  voyage,  or  a  tedious  trip  with  mule,  horse  and 
wagon  over  the  plains;  now  we  travel  in  a  superbly  ap- 
pointed railroad  train,  and  reach  that  great  State  in  five 
days. 

Canal-boats  have  given  way  to  the  railroad  train,  sailing 
vessels  to  the  great  steamships  that  cross  the  ocean  in 
six  days  and  a  few  hours.  The  news  of  the  world  is  now 
read  at  our  breakfast-table  every  morning.  We  sit  in  our 
office  and  comfortably  and  plainly  converse  with  our 
friends  one  thousand  or  more  miles  away.  Electricity  has 
been  tamed  and  controlled  for  our  daily  use  as  easily  as 
the  trainer  controls  the  colt. 

My  boys,  this  is  the  brief  record  of  your  College,  and 
the  great  world  outside,  during  the  past  fifty  years.  What 
are  its  lessons  to  you  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  fifty 
years?  Will  you  in  years  to  come  be  found  among  the 
worthy  of  this  land,  respected,  honored,  loved?  Will  you 
take  a  front  rank  in  the  world's  industries  and  professions, 
adding  to  the  already  great  store  of  new  inventions  and 
discoveries  for  the  benefit  of  mankind?  Or  will  you  be  a 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS    BY   JOSEPH    L.    CAVEN.  2/ 

laggard  in  the  ranks  of  the  world's  progress,  leaving  no 
impression  and  passing  out  of  mind  unregretted? 

The  great  past  has  been  hewed  and  carved  out  by  such 
as  you — can  the  future  depend  on  you  for  greater  develop- 
ments? 

This  celebration  is  now  opened,  and  if,  when  over,  your 
heads,  your  hearts  and  your  minds  respond,  "  For  the 
years  to  come  we  will  do  our  best/'  these  exercises  shall 
not  have  been  in  vain. 


ADDRESS 

BY   HON.  CHARLES  F.  WARWICK, 
Mayor  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia. 


MR.  CHAIRMAN,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN,  BOYS  OF 
GIRARD  COLLEGE: — Owing  to  the  pressure  of  business  en- 
gagements it  has  been  impossible  for  me  to  find  time  in 
which  to  prepare  a  set  address,  and,  while  hurrying  to  this 
anniversary  meeting  and  thinking  what  I  should  say  to 
you,  I  came  suddenly  into  these  grounds,  and  before 
me  stood  a  magnificent  structure.  I  refer  to  your  Main 
Building,  which  is  known  the  wide  world  over  as  Girard 
College.  It  gave  me  a  text.  This  is  said  to  be  the  finest 
specimen  of  the  Corinthian  order  of  architecture  of  modern 
times;  and  perhaps  very  few  structures  of  the  past,  even 
in  the  golden  days  of  Greece,  when  the  Doric,  the  Ionic 
and  the  Corinthian  orders  were  conceived  and  assumed 
shape  and  form,  ever  surpassed  in  beauty  of  proportion, 
in  delicacy  of  outline,  or  in  perfection  of  symmetry,  the 
building  to  which  I  refer.  It  is  an  adornment  not  only  to 
the  city,  but  also  stands  for  one  of  the  greatest  benefac- 
tions of  modern  times;  and  when  we  bear  in  mind  that 
this  great  Institution  sprang  from  the  benevolence,  the 
humanity,  the  love  of  a  single  heart,  we  may  begin  to  ap- 
preciate the  purpose  of  Mr.  Girard's  life  and  the  charity 
of  his  soul. 

Who  can  measure,  even  approximately,  the  influence  of 
28 


STEPHEN   GIRARD. 
STATUE   AND  SARCOPHAGUS,   MAIN    BUILDING,    GIRARD   COLLEGE. 


oy  THE 
TJNIVERSITY 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    CHARLES    F.  WARWICK.  29 

this  great  Institution,  an  influence  that  is  circumscribed  by 
time  alone;  for  it  will  go  on  distributing  its  blessings 
through  untold  ages  yet  to  come,  sending  out  into  the 
world  an  army,  we  may  say  armies,  of  boys  fully  equipped 
for  the  battle  of  life,  physically,  morally  and  intellectually 
trained,  and  with  every  opportunity,^  in  this  free  country 
of  ours,  to  become  useful  citizens  and  to  make  for  them- 
selves reputation  and  to  win  fame. 

Let  it  be  borne  in  mind,  too,  that  these  advantages  are 
for  those  who,  in  the  vast  majority  of  instances,  without 
the  care  of  this  Institution  would  lack  the  favor  and  the 
blessings  of  education. 

How  deeply  grateful  you  should  be  to  the  Founder  of 
this  College!  You  truly  may  call  him  father,  for  you  are 
his  children.  Most  bountifully  he  has  provided  for  you  out 
of  his  store,  and  you  will  be  faithless  and  ungrateful  if  you 
do  not  honor  him,  by  making  a  suitable  return  in  earnest 
and  honest  lives.  In  this  connection,  let  me  further  say 
that  it  is  your  duty  to  patriotically  serve  that  city  which 
has  so  safely  guarded  this  trust  and  which  provides  for  you 
so  great  an  opportunity.  I  think  it  may  be  said_  without 
the  fear  of  contradiction  that  no  public  trust  has  ever  been 
more  successfully  and  more  honorably  administered  with 
an  eye  single  to  the  interests  of  all  concerned. 

You  are  all  familiar  with  the  life  of  Stephen  Girard,  and 
I  am  not  able  to  add  a  single  incident  not  already  known. 
It  is  a  simple  story,  quickly  told,  but  in  some  particulars 
it  is  heroic  in  character.  He  was  not  commonplace,  as 
some  would  have  you  believe,  but  was  characterized  by 
industry,  by  earnestness  of  purpose,  by  exceptional  busi- 
ness foresight  and  ability,  by  humanity,  and  by  a  courage 
that  arose  at  times  to  the  dignity  of  heroism. 


30  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

He  was  born  away  back  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century 
in  Bordeaux,  France.  We  know  comparatively  but  little 
of  his  early  years;  if  some  accounts  be  true,  his  home  life 
was  not  the  happiest.  He  did  not  enjoy  any  special  advan- 
tages in  the  matter  of  his  early  education;  he  had  to  make 
his  own  career  and  attain  his  own  success;  but  he  pos- 
sessed those  qualities  or  traits  that  tend  to  make  a  man 
not  only  successful  but  useful. 

The  town  in  which  he  was  born  was  a  busy,  trading  sea- 
port, and  he  early  turned  his  attention  to  maritime  pur- 
suits. 'It  was  an  undertaking  of  no  little  importance  in 
those  days  to  cross  the  ocean.  The  pathway  of  the  At- 
lantic was  not  then  crowded,  as  it  is  to-day,  with  fast-flying 
steamers.  A  sailing-vessel  then  took  six  weeks,  and  some- 
times longer,  to  make  a  voyage  from  the  old  world  to  the 
new;  the  average  time  now  of  first-class  steamers  is  about 
six  days.  Travel  is  a  great  educator  for  attentive  minds, 
and  we  can  easily  understand  how  a  seafaring  life  broad- 
ened the  views  of  Mr.  Girard,  for  he  was  always  a  keen, 
close  observer,  and  ever  took  his  lessons  from  the  busy, 
practical  side  of  life.  He  was  essentially  a  man  of  affairs. 
The  new  world  had  special  attractions  for  a  man  of  Mr. 
Girard's  energy  and  industry.  It  opened  up  to  him  a  new 
field  and  afforded  him  opportunities  that  the  old  world 
could  never  have  given. 

It  was  a  fortunate  day  for  us  when  Providence  directed 
his  steps  to  this  city  and  he  decided  to  make  Philadelphia 
his  permanent  home.  His  business  success  was  marvel- 
lous,— his  every  venture  met  with  favor,  his  ships  sailed 
every  ocean  and  touched  at  every  port.  From  Philadel- 
phia to  London,  from  London  to  Calcutta,  his  vessels  were 
ploughing  the  seas,  unking  the  different '  nations  in  the 


ADDRESS  BY  HON.  CHARLES  F.  WARWICK.         31 

bonds  of  commerce  and  international  trade.  He  was  the 
leading  merchant  of  this  country,  and  made  this  city  the 
commercial  centre  of  the  new  world;  and  you  must  bear  in 
mind  that  when  he  began  his  business  career  here,  he  was 
a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  and  had  to  overcome  those 
obstacles  that  would  not  have  been  in  the  way  of  one  "  to 
the  manor  born."  He  had  to  acquire  a  new  tongue,  make 
new  friends,  and  live  down  prejudice  and  envy.  He  had  a 
genius  for  business;  his  judgment  was  good,  or  what 
might  be  called  safe;  he  intuitively  knew  the  market,  its 
conditions  and  its  necessities.  He  lived  plainly,  economi- 
cally, but  comfortably;  he  devoted  himself  so  assiduously 
to  business  that  he  had  no  time  nor  desire  for  so-called 
social  "  functions."  He  was  never  given  to  ostentation. 
He  gave  no  sumptuous  banquets,  but  he  was  laying  up  a 
store  that  was  to  feed  and  clothe  the  humble  and  the  home- 
less. 

Did  you  ever  bear  this  fact  in  mind,  that  it  was  for  you 
he  labored,  it  was  for  you  he  accumulated  his  fortune,  it 
was  for  you  he  devoted  the  energies  of  his  life?  I  speak 
thus  plainly,  because  I  want  to  bring  home  to  you  these 
facts  in  simple  form,  that  on  this  anniversary  day  I  may 
arouse  in  your  hearts  love  for  him  who  did  so  much  for 
you. 

I  have  already  said  that  he  at  times  rose  to  the  dignity 
of  heroism.  Not  only  was  he  a  man  of  charity  but  also  of 
courage.  If  there  is  anything  in  the  world  that  shows  the 
real  quality  of  a  man,  it  is  when  he  faces  an  impending 
danger  for  the  sake  of  humanity  from  which  others  turn 
and  flee.  In  time  of  great  public  calamity  or  peril,  when 
courage  wavers  and  the  bravest  hearts  quail,  he  who  goes 
into  the  breach  and  meets  the  danger  with  fortitude  is  a 


32  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

master  among  men.  No  man  is  mean  of  heart  who  has 
courage  of  soul. 

We  come  now  to  an  incident  in  Mr.  Girard's  life  which 
reveals  to  us  the  real  character  of  the  man,  and  we  should 
judge  men  by  what  they  do,  rather  than  by  what  others 
say  of  them. 

In  the  year  1793  this  city  was  visited  by  a  plague,  a  pest 
known  as  yellow  fever;  it  was  unusually  deadly  in  its  touch 
and  the  population  became  panic-stricken.  Those  who 
were  able  to  leave  their  homes,  fled.  Every  house  was 
under  the  shadow  of  death.  The  ambulances  rumbled 
through  the  city  by  night  and  by  day,  and  the  dead  carts 
hurried  their  victims  to  speedy  burial.  Affection  waned 
and  humanity  lost  its  gentleness;  parents  left  their  children 
to  die,  and  children  abandoned  their  parents.  The  merci- 
less pest  carried  fear  and  desolation  in  every  direction, — 
houses  were  closed,  business  was  suspended,  grass  grew  in 
the  streets,  and  the  churches  were  turned  into  hospitals. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Girard  was  in  the  very  vigor  and  prime 
of  manhood,  on  the  very  flood-tide  of  his  business  success, 
the  richest  man  in  the  city.  He  could  easily  have  fled, 
could  have  taken  refuge  elsewhere,  and  could  have  waited 
until  the  danger  passed  away,  but  he  refused  to  turn  his 
back  upon  his  stricken,  suffering  fellow-men.  He  listened 
to  the  call  for  help  and  opened  his  heart  and  his  purse,  and 
not  only  this,  but  volunteered  to  serve  as  a  nurse,  and  for 
two  months  was  in  attendance  upon  the  sick  and  the  dying 
in  a  public  pest-house. 

Take  this  incident  in  his  life,  and  then  bear  in  mind  his 
benefaction,  and  can  any  one  doubt  his  great  humanity? 
Willing  in  public  peril  to  risk  his  life  for  his  fellow-man,  he 
subsequently  gave  the  labor  of  his  years  to  the  creation  of 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    CHARLES    F.  WARWICK.  33 

one  of  the  sweetest  charities  of  modern  times.  Courage 
and  chanty!  Where  is  there  a  life  in  which  there  have 
been  shown  greater  qualities  of  heart  and  soul  than  in  that 
of  this  man,  so  little  understood  and  appreciated  in  his  day 
and  generation? 

Oh,  how  little  we  know  of  the  real  sentiments  and  quali- 
ties of  men  while  they  live,  and  while  envy  and  detraction 
unite  with  "small  talk"  and  slander  to  blast,  to  blemish 
and  destroy!  Pity  'tis,  we  cannot  in  some  way  make 
amends,  for  the  indifference  that  was  shown  him  in  his 
clay  by  many  of  his  fellow-citizens,  who  followed  him  with 
scandal  even  to  the  grave.  Childless  and  surrounded  by 
strangers  he  passed  away,  but  to  a  reward,  we  hope, 
greater  than  man  can  give.  Though  maligned  in  life  and 
misunderstood,  his  humanity  was  not  fathomed  until  his 
spirit  sank  to  rest.  When  his  will  was  opened,  he  was 
found  to  be  the  greatest  philanthropist  this  country,  up  to 
that  time,  had  ever  known.  His  charity  was  so  broad  and 
so  far  reaching,  that  it  linked  him  with  the  infinite,  with 
that  just  God  who  is  the  searcher  of  all  hearts,  and  who 
is  able  to  find  the  truth,  no  matter  how  deep  it  may  be 
buried,  or  how  far  from  the  sight  of  man  it  may  be  hidden. 

You  may  tell  me  that  such  a  man  had  no  creed,  but  you 
cannot  urge  that  he  was  without  faith.  He  wore  no  broad 
phylacteries,  he  indulged  in  no  cant,  he  mouthed  not  his 
prayers  in  public  places,  but  his  heroism  and  his  charity 
show  such  magnanimity  of  soul,  that  his  love  for  man  but 
reflects  his  love  for  God.  He  expressed  his  faith  in  noble 
works.  His  charity  will  go  out  to  future  generations  to 
bless,  to  comfort,  and  to  save,  increasing  in  its  usefulness 
as  the  years  multiply,  and,  as  we  look  out  into  the  future, 
little  can  we  measure  the  extent  and  greatness  of  his 


34  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

bounty.  He  turned  not  back  from  his  duty;  he  faced 
death  when  others  quailed,  and  he  bequeathed  his  fortune 
to  those  whom  he  did  not  know,  but  whom  he  sincerely 
loved. 

This  Institution  is  a  monument  to  his  charity,  to  his 
humanity,  to  his  magnanimity,  and  it  speaks  more  elo- 
quently in  his  favor  than  could  a  thousand  tongues  in 
pompous  eulogy.  This  Institution  is  the  tender  response 
of  his  heart  to  the  appeal  from  the  fatherless  for  help  and 
comfort. 

Philadelphians  are  beginning  to  understand  the  real 
qualities  of  Mr.  Girard;  they  are  becoming  more  familiar 
with  the  man,  and  more  keenly  appreciative  of  the  extent 
of  his  great  bounty.  They  know  the  usefulness  of  the  Col- 
lege, but  they  have  had  a  misconception  of  the  real  motives 
of  the  donor  and  the  qualities  that  characterized  him. 

After  his  death,  the  long  litigation  over  his  will,  the 
stories  that  were  set  in  circulation  by  his  enemies,  the 
statement  that  he  had  no  religious  faith,  all  tended  to  blind 
the  judgment  and  to  darken  the  truth,  but  now,  weighing 
his  deeds,  we  are  better  able  to  judge  him  and  to  know 
him  in  his  true  light. 

His  life  is  interwoven  into  the  history  of  our  city;  his 
charity  has  come  to  bless  us,  and,  as  time  runs  on,  his 
memory  will  be  more  and  more  honored  and  revered. 
Truly  it  can  be  said  of  him  that 

"  He  had  a  tear  for  pity  and  a  hand 
Open  as  day  for  melting  charity. ' ' 

This  is  but  a  sketch  of  his  life  briefly  told,  but  compare 
his  career,  if  you  will,  with  that  of  other  great  characters 
in  history.  I  read  the  oiher  day  in  a  newspaper,  that  Bis- 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    CHARLES    F.  WARWICK.  35 

marck  had  expressed  his  regret  for  having  provoked 
quarrels  that  resulted  in  bloodshed.  The  statement  may 
or  may  not  have  been  true,  but  it  has  its  lesson. 

I  wonder  if  Napoleon,  in  his  rock-bound  prison  far  out 
in  the  ocean,  ever  looked  back  upon  his  past  and  realized 
the  misery  that  had  been  wrought  by  his  ambition;  how 
cruel  had  been  his  wars,  how  selfish  and  wicked  had  been 
his  purposes,  how  he  had  set  at  defiance  every  moral  ob- 
ligation and  every  precept  of  God  and  man.  The  remains 
of  this  great  soldier  lie  to-day  in  a  beautiful  and  imposing 
tomb  in  the  Hotel  des  Invalides,  and  his  memory  is 
honored  by  his  countrymen. 

Contrast  the  life  of  Napoleon  in  usefulness  with  that  of 
this  quiet  citizen  and  man  of  peace,  who  brought  fortune 
and  fame  to  our  city,  whose  history  is  not  written  in  blood, 
but  in  charity,  who  watched  over  the  sick  and  held  the  cup 
to  the  parched  lips  of  the  dying,  who  gave  to  us  one  of 
the  greatest  bounties  ever  bequeathed  by  a  citizen  of 
America  for  the  benefit  of  humanity.  Bear  all  this  in  mind, 
and  ever  hold  in  grateful  remembrance  the  name  and 
kindness  of  your  benefactor;  then  this  Semi-Centennial 
Anniversary  will  not  have  been  held  in  vain. 


MAN   AND   CITIZEN.— AN   ADDRESS 

BY  HON.  MARRIOTT  BROSIUS, 
Member  of  Congress,  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania. 


"  And,  especially,  I  desire  that,  by  every  proper  means,  a  pure  attachment  to 
our  republican  institutions  and  to  the  sacred  rights  of  conscience,  as  guaranteed 
by  our  happy  Constitution,  shall  be  formed  and  fostered  in  the  minds  of  the 
scholars." — Will  of  Stephen  Girard. 

I  will  not  conceal  the  satisfaction  it  gives  me  to  unite 
with  the  faculty,  alumni  and  students  of  this  Institution  in 
commemorating  the  Semi-Centennial  Anniversary  of  its 
founding;  and  I  tender  them  my  cordial  felicitations  on 
this  auspicious  celebration  of  a  "  golden  wedding."  Fifty 
years  ago,  at  this  place,  Opulence  and  Opportunity  were 
united  in  the  bonds  of  a  wedlock  whose  numerous  progeny 
of  blessings  to  the  human  family  afford  convincing  proof 
that  the  children  have  obeyed  the  Divine  injunction,  have 
honored  their  father  and  their  mother,  and  their  days  will 
be  long  in  the  land.  That  the  splendid  success  of  the  In- 
stitution has  been  largely  due  to  the  wisdom  of  its  man- 
agement goes  without  saying;  yet,  the  noble  example  of 
its  illustrious  Founder,  the  "  mariner  and  merchant,"  "  hu- 
manitarian and  philanthropist,"  "noble  man  and  public- 
spirited  citizen,"  which  has  been  speaking  all  these  years 
to  the  youth  who  have  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  his  mu- 
nificent gift  to  noble  uses,  must  have  had  a  commensurate 
agency  in  achieving  such  magnificent  results. 
36 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    MARRIOTT    BROSIUS.  37 

In  his  last  will  and  testament,  Stephen  Girard  laid  his 
command  upon  all  who  should  touch  these  foundations 
or  lay  their  hands  to  the  upbuilding  of  this  temple  dedi- 
cated to  the  care,  comfort,  and  culture  of  orphaned  boys. 
He  expressed  his  desire  that,  by  every  proper  means,  a 
pure  attachment  to  our  republican  institutions  and  to  the 
sacred  rights  of  conscience,  as  guaranteed  by  our  happy 
Constitution,  should  be  formed  and  fostered  in  the  minds 
of  the  scholars. 

Obedience  to  this  testamentary  injunction  will  secure 
two  results  of  the  first  importance  to  human  society.  It 
will  form  good  men  and  make  good  citizens.  An  object 
so  worthy  of  our  pursuit  at  all  times  as  the  betterment  of 
man  in  his  relations  to  society  and  the  state  may  well  en- 
gage our  special  attention  on  this  commemorative  occa- 
sion. 

It  was  the  thought  of  Lowell  that  the  first  duty  of  the 
United  States  is  to  become  a  nation  of  men  builders;  but, 
when  we  contemplate  the  mixed  quality  of  human  nature, 
how  good  and  evil  are  blended,  how  the  serpent's  hiss  and 
the  bird's  song  are  mingled  in  its  composition,  we  realize 
how  arduous  is  the  task. 

When  Leonardo  da  Vinci  was  painting  his  famous 
fresco,  "  The  Last  Supper,"  on  the  wall  of  a  Dominican 
convent,  the  prior  became  impatient  at  the  tardiness  of  the 
work  and  reproached  the  painter,  who,  answering,  said, 
"  I  still  want  two  faces,  one  of  which,  the  Saviour,  I  cannot 
hope  to  find  on  earth,  and  I  have  not  attained  the  power 
of  presenting  it  to  myself  in  imagination  with  all  the  per- 
fection of  beauty  and  spiritual  grace  demanded  in  a  repre- 
sentation of  the  Divine  Incarnation;  the  other  is  that  of 
Judas,  and  I  hardly  think  it  possible  to  render  graphically 

3 


38  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF   GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

the  features  of  a  man  who,  after  receiving  so  many  bene- 
fits from  Him,  deliberately  betrayed  his  Lord  and  Master." 

Similarly,  he  who  undertakes  to  depict  in  words  the 
extremes  of  goodness  and  badness  in  human  character, 
like  Leonardo,  will  be  unable  to  complete  his  pictures,  for 
no  mastery  of  the  art  of  characterization  will  enable  him 
adequately  to  portray  the  radiant  image  of  the  divine  in 
man  at  his  best,  or  to  graphically  render  the  dark  incar- 
nation of  evil  in  him  at  his  worst. 

"  Compound  of  beast  and  angel,  of  devil  and  deity/1 
said  Coleridge.  "The  glory  and  the  scorn  of  the  uni- 
verse," said  Pascal.  "A  jewel  of  God,"  said  Parker.  "A 
rapacious  vulture,"  said  Cowley.  "  Half  dust  and  half 
deity;  alike  unfit  to  sink  or  soar,"  said  Byron.  What  an 
inharmonious  being!  How  noble  in  reason,  yet  how 
prone  to  error;  how  infinite  in  faculty,  yet  how  low  in  de- 
sire; in  form  and  moving  how  express  and  admirable,  yet 
how  low  he  bends  to  vice  and  folly;  in  action  how  like  an 
angel,  in  acts  how  like  a  devil;  in  apprehension  how  like 
a  god,  yet  in  appetite  how  like  a  brute!  This  is  man  in 
his  totality;  but,  as  Emerson  suggests,  man  has  been  dif- 
ferentiated into  men,  good  men,  middling  men,  and  bad 
men;  so  we  can  conceive  them  in  their  several  characters 
and  distinguish  one  from  the  other. 

It  is  man  at  his  best,  God's  noblest  work  except  woman, 
that  I  want  my  words  this  afternoon  to  help  you  to  build. 
Michael  Angelo,  walking  in  the  streets  of  Florence,  saw 
a  block  of  marble  in  some  rubbish  at  his  feet.  He  stooped 
to  pick  up  the  stone.  His  friend  asked  him  what  he 
wanted  with  the  worthless  rock.  Angelo  replied,  with  the 
enthusiasm  that  only  genius  feels,  "  There  is  an  angel  in 
that  stone,  and  I  must  get  it  out."  He  took  it  to  his 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    MARRIOTT    BROSIUS.  39 

studio,  and,  by  patient  toil  with  mallet  and  chisel,  he  let 
the  angel  out.  So,  in  every  orphan  boy  who  enters  this 
College,  there  is  the  rough  marble  of  a  magnificent  man- 
hood. Wise,  indeed,  is  this  management  if,  with  the 
hammer  and  chisel  of  precept,  example  and  instruction, 
it  carves  the  marble  of  the  soul  into  the  beauty  of  Christian 
manhood. 

This  is  the  work  in  which  Girard  College  is  engaged. 
Its  Founder  meant  that  it  should  stand  for  the  highest 
conceivable  things,  for  manhood,  for  character,  for  con- 
science, for  courage,  for  those  higher  things  which  are 
raising  the  walls  of  the  great  temple  of  character,  a  temple 
whose  altar  is  the  eternal  right,  whose  high  priest  is  con- 
science, whose  ritual  is  duty,  whose  prayer  is  service, 
whose  song  is  love. 

In  the  culture  of  character,  soul  tillage,  or  the  building 
of  a  man,  the  things  of  first  importance  are  the  principles 
of  right  conduct  which  give  character  to  the  man.  Dwell 
with  me  briefly  on  some  of  these  first  principles. 

No  character  can  approach  perfection  without  what 
Charles  Lamb  called  "  incorrigible  and  immovable  hon- 
esty.'' This  is  the  backbone  of  an  erect  and  sovereign 
soul.  Nor  is  it  a  difficult  achievement.  It  only  requires 
the  subjection  of  our  daily  conduct  to  the  direction  of  the 
law  of  our  spiritual  life.  This  trait  fixed,  you  command 
every  man's  respect.  Your  neighbor  is  your  witness.  He 
feels  safe  in  your  company,  for  he  knows  you  will  be 
honest  in  the  dark  and  virtuous  without  a  witness.  He 
believes  a  portion  of  divinity  is  incarnated  in  you,  and 
whither  you  go,  here  or  hereafter,  others  will  be  pleased  to 
have  your  company,  for  they  know,  without  consulting 
their  catechism,  that  the  soul  of  an  honest  man  will  lend  a 


40  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE.      . 

charm  to  the  everlasting  rest  of  the  saints.  The  late  la- 
mented Father  Taylor,  a  devout  Methodist,  in  an  observa- 
tion quite  worth  remembering,  has  emphasized  the  value 
of  integrity  of  soul  as  a  passport  to  the  blessings  hoped 
for.  His  brethren  were  criticising  his  friendship  for  Emer- 
son, and  insisting  that  the  philosopher,  being  a  Unitarian, 
must  go  to  the  place  some  people  think  it  not  polite  to 
mention.  "  It  does  look  so,"  said  Father  Taylor;  "  but  I 
am  sure  of  one  thing:  if  Emerson  goes  to  that  place,  he 
will  change  the  climate  there  and  emigration  will  set  that 
way." 

Honesty  means  a  steadfast  adherence  to  our  principles, 
which  is  a  very  arduous  task  for  some  people  who,  from 
the  unsteadiness  of  their  conduct,  seem  to  be  destitute  of 
both  chart  and  compass.  They  illustrate  the  idea  Lowell 
put  in  the  mouth  of  one  of  his  characters: 

"A  marciful  Providence  fashioned  us  holler 
On  purpose  that  we  might  our  principles  swaller. " 

No  man  can  honor  his  principles  if  he  is  ashamed  of 
them;  he  can  only  be  true  to  them  when  he  glories  in 
them.  I  heard  of  a  minister  who  preached  a  sermon 
against  intemperance,  and,  finding  that  a  liquor  dealer  was 
present,  went  to  him  and  apologized  for  criticising  his 
business.  The  minister  learned  a  lesson  in  honesty  from 
the  reply  of  the  liquor  dealer.  He  said,  "  Oh,  never  mind; 
that's  all  right.  You  would  have  to  preach  an  all-fired 
poor  sermon  if  you  didn't  hit  me  somewhere." 

The  "National  Assembly  of  France,  a  century  ago,  set  at 
least  one  glittering  star  on  its  forehead  which  has  been 
shining  with  fadeless  lustre  down  the  years.  When  it  was 
discovered  that  Mirabeau  had  been  guilty  of  dishonesty, 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    MARRIOTT    BROSIUS.  4! 

it  caused  his  body  to  be  removed  from  the  Pantheon  and 
interred  among  criminals,  because  the  Assembly  decreed 
that  none  but  the  remains  of  great  men  could  lie  in  the 
French  Pantheon,  and  no  man  could  be  great  without 
honesty. 

My  young  friends,  I  charge  you,  remember  there  are 
but  two  sides, — "  God's  truth  and  the  Devil's  falsehood." 
Rise  to  the  former  and  you  are  an  upright,  heaven-facing 
creature;  you  are  a  man.  No  eye  can  shame  you.  Con- 
scious rectitude  gives  you  self-respect  and  the  respect  of 
others.  Truth  is  a  part  of  the  machinery  of  God,  and, 
when  you  put  yourselves  in  gear  with  that  machinery,  you 
have  the  Almighty  to  turn  your  wheels.  But  fall  to  the 
latter,  and  you  stand  before  your  neighbor  with  a  shamed 
face,  before  your  own  soul  with  a  downcast  eye,  before 
God  with  a  sense  of  degrading  guilt,  and  you  are  less  than 
a  man. 

The  man  I  am  outlining  is  a  moral  hero.  There  is, 
perhaps,  no  other  quality  in  which  the  average  man  is  so 
deficient  as  heroism.  How  many  of  us  lack  the  courage 
of  our  convictions!  Celestial  professions  and  terrestrial 
practices  go  hand  in  hand.  Many  render  lip  homage  to 
the  principles  of  right  living  whose  hearts  are  lightly 
touched  with  devotion  to  their  claims.  If  the  bronze  lips 
of  Philadelphia's  patron  saint  would  break  into  speech 
and  tell  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  the  incident  Glad- 
stone tells  of  Lord  Melbourne,  fifty  thousand  men  would 
recognize  their  own  likeness.  Melbourne  was  seen  coming 
from  church  one  Sabbath  in  great  excitement.  Meet- 
ing a  friend,  he  exclaimed,  "  It  is  too  bad.  I  have  always 
been  a  supporter  of  the  church  and  have  always  upheld  the 
clergy;  and  it  is  really  too  bad  to  have  to  listen  to  a  ser- 


42  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

mon  like  that  I  heard  this  morning.  Why,  the  preacher 
actually  insisted  upon  applying  religion  to  a  man's  private 
life." 

How  many  fail  for  lack  of  heroism  to  meet  and  con- 
quer adverse  fate!  I  have  read  that,  in  an  art  gallery  in 
Antwerp  some  years  ago,  one  could  have  seen  a  celebrated 
painter  copying  from  the  great  masters.  He  was  born 
without  arms,  but  with  an  ambition  kindled  with  the  love 
of  art.  By  patient  toil,  he  trained  his  feet  to  perform  the 
functions  of  hands,  until  he  could  mix  his  colors,  and 
deftly  upon  the  canvas  reproduce  the  best  works  of  the 
old  masters.  He  was  a  hero. 

In  society,  conformity  is  the  line  of  least  resistance. 
The  average  man  is  a  moral  chameleon  and  takes  the  pre- 
vailing hue.  He  would  like  to  set  a  better  fashion,  but  he 
lacks  the  courage.  His  moral  standard  is  as  high  as  that 
of  the  presidential  candidate  who  said  he  would  like  to 
have  the  Lord  on  his  side,  but  he  must  have  the  State  of 
Kentucky.  The  man  who  possesses  the  heroism  of  ster- 
ling manhood,  the  sublimity  of  devotion  to  high  ideals, 
finds  his  battle-field  wherever  he  finds  a  foe  to  right,  a 
cause  that  needs  assistance,  or  a  wrong  that  lacks  resist- 
ance. He  never  stops  to  count  the  number  of  his  adver- 
saries when  truth  is  assailed,  and  he  never  capitulates  to 
circumstances,  badges,  fashions,  or  institutions;  but,  in 
the  midst  of  the  crowd,  he  keeps  his  independence  and 
holds  his  rudder  true. 

When  Raphael  was  drawing  his  figures  too  small, 
Michael  Angelo  sketched  a  colossal  head  before  his  eyes 
and  taught  him  his  fault.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  moral  hero 
to  sketch  the  figures  of  right  conduct  in  their  true  propor- 
tion and  lift  high  the  le^el  of  the  fashion. 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    MARRIOTT    BROSIUS.  43 

The  world  enjoys  a  perpetual  dowry  in  the  memory  of 
her  heroes,  and  the  living  catch  heroic  fire  from  the  con- 
templation of  the  heroism  that  proclaimed  its  principles 
amid  flames,  that  showed  its  faith  under  the  axe,  that  went 
with  Shadrach  to  the  fiery  furnace  and  with  Daniel  to  the 
lion's  den. 

The  other  day  I  opened  a  volume  of  Mazzini's  "  Essays'' 
and  read  how,  upon  a  day  in  the  sixteenth  century  at 
Rome,  inquisitors  were  assembled  to  compel  a  prisoner 
to  renounce  the  truth  he  had  declared.  The  prisoner  was 
Galileo.  His  soul  revolted  against  the  violence  of  those 
who  sought"  to  force  him  to  deny  what  he  knew  was  an 
eternal  verity.  His  strength  was  exhausted  by  suffering; 
the  monkish  menace  had  crushed  him.  He  raised  his 
hand  to  declare  a  lie,  but  at  the  same  time  he  raised  his 
weary  eyes  to  heaven  and  caught  a  ray  from  the  eternal 
which  kindled  his  conscience,  and  the  great  truth  again 
burst  from  the  believer's  soul  in  those  memorable  words: 
"  Epur  se  muove"  ("  It  moves  nevertheless").  That  sub- 
lime cry  of  Galileo  still  floats  above  the  ages,  teaching  the 
children  of  men  that  heroism  is  the  highest  outlook  of  the 
soul. 

Daniel  O'Connell,  in  the  House  of  Commons,  offered 
twenty-seven  votes  for  every  Irish  measure  if  he  would 
not  ally  himself  with  the  anti-slavery  party,  spurning  the 
splendid  bribe  and  declaring,  "  Gentlemen,  God  knows  1 
speak  for  the  saddest  people  the  sun  sees,  but  may  my 
right  hand  forget  its  cunning  and  my  tongue  cleave  to  the 
roof  of  my  mouth  if,  to  save  Ireland,  I  forget  the  slave 
of  any  land,"  was  a  hero  of  unrivalled  splendor.  Garrison, 
in  the  face  of  the  world's  contempt,  declaring,  "  I  will  be 
as  harsh  as  truth,  as  uncompromising  as  justice;  I  will 


•    44  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE? 


not  equivocate,  I  will  not  excuse,  I  will  speak  out,  I  will 
be  heard,"  was  a  hero.  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  the  midst  of 
collisions  of  opinion  and  the  distractions  of  war,  declaring, 
"  Whatever  seems  to  be  God's  will  i  will  do,"  was  a  hero. 
General  Grant,  with  the  vanquished  army  of  the  rebellion 
at  his  feet,  saying,  "  Lay  down  your  arms;  go  to  your 
homes  on  your  parole  of  honor,  and  take  your  horses  with 
you  to  cultivate  your  farms,  but  come  and  take  dinner 
with  us  before  you  go,"  was  a  hero.  Our  souls  should 
bow  in  reverence  before  the  temple  which  enshrines  these 
divinities  of  heroism. 

But  our  man — the  Girard  College  brand — is  not  yet  com- 
plete. He  must  be  benevolent.  The  founder  of  this  Insti- 
tution, by  his  splendid  munificence,  has  given  this  noble 
trait  distinct  pre-eminence;  and  it  is  a  happiness  to  know 
that  his  illustrious  example  has  had  many  imitators.  No 
other  country  has  so  many  millionaires  as  our  own,  and 
in  no  other  have  rich  men  used  their  wealth  in  such  benefi- 
cent ways.  It  is  estimated  that  the  money  given  for  be- 
nevolent uses  by  wealthy  Americans  through  institutions 
whose  benefits  are  shared  by  the  people,  counting  no  gifts 
under  $5,000,  averages  $30,000,000  a  year.  This  shows 
that  the  trend  of  development  in  man  is  toward  a  higher 
plane  of  life.  Philosophers  say,  if  evolution  throws  any 
light  upon  existence,  it  shows  that  man  is  a  spiritual 
being,  and  that  the  direction  of  his  long  career  is  toward 
more  exalted  living,  and  that  one  day  the  human  race 
will  flower  into  perfect  beings  who  will  live  by  the  Golden 
Rule.  John  Fiske  insists  that  the  development  of  the 
higher  spiritual  qualities  of  man  is  the  goal  toward  which 
nature's  work  has  tended  from  the  beginning.  Victor 
Hugo  believed,  with  some  complacency,  that  he  was  the 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    MARRIOTT    BROSIUS.  45 

tadpole  of  an  archangel.  Huxley  says  if  it  is  not  so,  if 
there  is  no  hope  of  a  large  improvement  in  the  human 
family,  he  would  hail  the  advent  of  some  kindly  comet  to 
sweep  it  all  away.  But  it  is  so,  and  the  incontestable  evi- 
dence of  it  is  found  in  the  number  of  munificent  gifts  for 
the  benefit  of  the  human  family  which  have  conferred 
honorable  distinction  upon  Americans  of  opulence,  and 
of  which  the  splendid  gift  of  Stephen  Girard  will  ever  re- 
main a  conspicuous  example.  It  illustrates  how,  in  the 
ascent  of  man,  he  passes  from  the  plane  of  the  struggle  for 
life,  to  that  of  the  struggle  for  the  lives  of  others;  from 
what  Henry  Drummond  calls  self-regarding  to  other- 
regarding  conduct,  which  is,  distinctly,  a  higher  plane. 
It  means  that  we  are  more  and  more  recognizing  our 
brother  as  in  our  keeping,  and  are  learning  to  value  the 
things  of  this  world  for  their  service  to  mankind,  and 
more  and  more  to  regard  wealth  as  a  trust,  to  be  employed 
in  wise  and  beneficent  uses,  for  the  benefit  of  our  fellow- 
men.  And  thus  the  principle  of  benevolence  becomes  a 
necessary  element  in  every  well-formed  character;  and  I 
would  have  you  cherish  it  as  one  of  the  ties  which  hold 
the  human  family  in  the  bonds  of  unity  and  peace;  for 
we  must  never  forget  "that  we  are  children  of  the  same 
Father,  travelling  toward  the  same  home,  and  hoping  to 
sit  down  at  last  at  the  same  banquet,  and,  therefore,  we 
should  love  and  help  one  another." 

But  our  man  has  not  yet  reached  his  full  stature.  He 
must  be  sensible  of  the  obligations  of  duty.  Society  is 
organized  on  the  basis  of  the  performance  of  duty.  Indif- 
ference, or  neglect  here,  not  only  puts  a  blemish  on  char- 
acter, but  tends  to  the  disintegration  of  social  order. 
Let  me  drive  this  thought  home  with  a  passage  from 


46  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

"  Christmas  Carol,"  whose  pathos  and  power  affect  me 
more  than  the  profoundest  utterances  of  philosophy  on 
the  necessity  of  fidelity  to  the  duties  our  social  relations 
impose.  When  Scrooge  ventured  the  conciliatory  sug- 
gestion that  Marley  was  a  good  man  of  business,  the  ghost 
replied,  "Business!  Mankind  was  my  business;  the  com- 
mon welfare  was  my  business;  charity,  mercy,  forbear- 
ance and  benevolence  were  all  my  business.  The  dealings 
of  my  trade  were  but  a  drop  of  water  in  the  comprehensive 
ocean  of  my  business."  The  moral  so  sharply  pointed  by 
this  persuasive  message  to  the  living,  from  a  spirit  in  chains 
of  its  own  forging  while  in  life  is,  that  no  devotion  to  mere 
personal  ends,  can  absolve  us  from  the  larger  obligations 
we  owe  society. 

When  Stephen  Girard  took  his  life  in  his  hands,  and 
entered  the  loathsome  pest-house  at  Bush  Hill,  to  nurse 
the  sick  and  comfort  the  dying,  he  set  a  shining  example 
of  devotion  to  duty  and  exemplified  the  thought  of  the 
poet: 

"  'Tis  man's  perdition  to  be  safe 
When  for  man  he  ought  to  die." 

Young  people  are  beset  with  temptations  to  neglect 
their  duty.  It  may  be  the  siren  voice  of  pleasure  or  pride, 
indifference  or  indolence,  that  lures  them  from  their  post 
or  lulls  them  to  sleep.  Every  time  they  yield  to  the  solici- 
tations of  the  tempter  they  lose  a  portion  of  their  power 
of  resistance,  and  victory  is  harder  at  the  next  assault. 
The  young  man  who  believes  that  he  can  win  the  crown 
of  noble  manhood,  without  bearing  the  cross  of  duty,  or 
achieve  the  glory  of  victory,  without  the  sweat  and  dust  of 
the  race,  suggests  Saul  with  a  difference.  The  latter  went 
out  to  find  his  father's  ^asses  and  came  back  to  find  him- 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    MARRIOTT    BROSIUS.  47 

self  a  king;  but  the  former  goes  out  a  king,  in  his  own 
conceit,  and  comes  back  to  find  himself  the  other  animal. 

In  the  museum  of  the  Stanford  University  in  California 
I  saw  an  impressive  painting  illustrating  "  duty."  I  was 
reminded  how  apt  men  are  in  asserting  their  rights,  and 
how  inapt  they  are  in  assuming  their  duties.  A  central 
figure  represents  Law;  another,  Justice.  On  the  left,  a 
youth  holds  a  scroll,  on  which  is  written,  "  Rights  of 
Man."  An  aged  priest  near  by  reminds  the  youth  that 
man  has  a  heritage  of  duty  as  well  as  rights.  In  the  fore- 
ground, two  children  are  reading  a  scroll  bearing  the  in- 
scription, "  No  Rights  without  Duties."  It  is  a  lesson  for 
the  ages. 

Young  man,  let  duty  be  a  part  of  your  religion.  You 
can  follow  the  example  of  the  shipmaster  in  the  story. 
He  prayed  to  Neptune,  "  O  God,  Thou  canst  save  me  if 
Thou  wilt,  or  destroy  me;  but,  however  it  be,  I  will' keep 
my  rudder  true." 

The  question  of  every  soul,  "What  shall  I  do  to  gain 
eternal  life?"  is  nowhere  more  clearly  answered  than  in 
Schiller's  noble  lines: 

' '  Thy  duty  ever, 

Discharge  aright  the  simple  duties  with 
Which  each  day  is  rife  ;  yea,  with  thy  might." 

Now,  my  friends,  we  have  considered  the  most  essential 
parts  of  the  structure  of  a  man;  let  us  now  crown  him 
with  the  noble  mind's  distinguishing  perfection, — honor. 
This  is  the  graceful  ornament  of  man,  the  Corinthian  capi- 
tal of  the  stately  column  of  Christian  manhood.  It  is  so 
nearly  allied  to  honesty,  I  need  not  dwell  upon  it.  Yet 
there  is  a  distinction,  subtle,  perhaps,  but  appreciable. 
It  is  the  finest  essence,  the  distilled  spirit,  the  soul  of 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


honesty.  The  true  man  feels  the  obligations  of  honor 
superior  to  all  others.  In  every  rank  and  condition  of  life, 
in  every  vocation,  it  is  a  sure  passport  to  veneration  and 
affection.  A  tradesman  once  asked  Charles  James  Fox  to 
pay  him  a  debt  from  some  money  he  was  counting.  Fox 
replied,  "  I  owe  this  money  to  another:  it  is  a  debt  of 
honor;  he  has  nothing  to  show  for  it."  "  Then,"  said  the 
tradesman,  "  I  change  my  claim  to  a  debt  of  honor,"  and 
he  tore  the  note  to  pieces.  Fox  thanked  his  creditor  for 
his  confidence  and  paid  him  the  money,  saying,  "  The 
other  man  must  wait;  yours  is  the  oldest  debt." 

When  Washington  applied  to  Robert  Morris  for  a  large 
sum  of  money  for  the  use  of  the  army,  the  latter  went, 
despondent,  to  the  street  in  search  of  funds.  He  met  a 
wealthy  Quaker,  to  whom  he  made  his  wants  known. 
"  Robert,  what  security  canst  thou  give?"  asked  the 
Friend.  "  My  note  and  my  honor,"  Morris  replied. 
"Thou  shalt  have  it"  was  the  Quaker's  prompt  response. 

These  instances  have  the  flavor  of  the  millennium,  and 
are  a  foretaste  of  the  happy  condition  of  society  when  en- 
gagements are  all  kept,  and,  hence,  always  accepted;  when 
all  men  are  like  Stephen  Girard,  whose  word  was  as  good 
as  his  bond,  and  honor  is  man's  distinguishing  perfection. 

Now,  we  have  our  man;  we  have  made  him,  not  in  our 
own  image,  but  in  the  likeness  of  an  ideal  that  is  attain- 
able. We  have  not  made  him  a  Calvinist,  but  we  have 
made  sure  of  his  orthodoxy  in  the  five  essential  points  of 
the  moral  code  of  noble  manhood.  It  was  Stephen 
Girard's  first  concern  that  the  purest  principles  of  mo- 
rality should  be  instilled  in  the  mind  of  youth,  and  it  was 
no  part  of  our  purpose  to  exceed  these  bounds. 

But  the  man  is  to  be  a  citizen,  and  that  calls  into  reqm- 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    MARRIOTT    BROSIUS.  49 

sition  another  element  of  character  which  brings  him  into 
relations  with  his  country.  The  proudest  title  the  ancient 
Roman  knew  was  "  Civis  sum  Romanus,"  "  I  am  a  Roman 
citizen."  A  nobler  and  prouder  title  is  ours:  "  Civis  sum 
Americanus,"  "  I  am  an  American  citizen."  As  no  other 
decoration  ever  rivalled  this  in  splendor  and  no  other  title 
ever  carried  so  many  rights,  privileges  and  honors;  so  it 
must  be  said,  and  with  a  solemn  sense  of  its  deep  import, 
no  other  relation  lays  on  us  such  commanding  duties  or 
imposes  such  responsible  obligations  to  our  country. 

Patriotism  means  a  due  sense  of  these  obligations  and 
duties,  with  a  commensurate  disposition  to  their  observ- 
ance and  performance.  It  is  not  a  mere  ephemeral  pas- 
sion; it  is  an  enduring  emotion,  an  eternal  ray  that  kindles 
the  soul  into  the  glory  of  service  and  sacrifice  for  country. 
It  constrains  to  good  citizenship. 

It  concerns  us  now  to  know  what  is  meant  by  a  "  good 
citizen."  And  this  inquiry  derives  importance  from  a 
distinguishing  feature  of  our  system,  sometimes  called  the 
"  hydrostatic  paradox"  of  popular  government.  In  a  bent 
tube,  with  one  arm  a  foot  in  diameter  and  the  other  no 
larger  than  a  pipe-stem,  the  water  will  stand  the  same 
height  in  both.  Similarly,  universal  suffrage  equalizes 
the  votes  of  the  philosopher  and  the  fool,  the  President 
and  the  pauper.  It  is  easily  seen  that  under  such  a  system 
— and  it  may  be  the  best  for  us — the  active  virtues  of  the 
citizen  are  not  only  the  breath  of  our  present  life,  but  of 
our  life  to  come  as  a  nation. 

Now,  I  will  tell  you  what  constitutes  a  good  citizen. 
That  I  have  told  it  elsewhere  will  not  diminish  its  truth. 
A  citizen  who  is  a  sovereign  must  be  qualified  for  his 
kingdom;  he  must  be  moulded  on  forms  of  virtue,  self- 


5O  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

restraint,  obedience  and  loyalty  to  conscience  and  country; 
he  must  be  self-governing  in  the  wide  range  of  activities 
which  lie  outside  the  sanction  of  the  statute  and  far  away 
from  the  policeman's  beat;  he  must  have  fineness  and 
strength  in  the  warp  of  intelligence,  and  firmness  of  tex- 
ture in  the  woof  of  virtue;  he  must  subject  his  political 
conduct  to  the  restraints  of  moral  principle,  and  subordi- 
nate his  private  interests  to  his  public  duties;  he  must  not 
yield  to  the  delusive  plausibilities  of  untutored  dema- 
gogues; he  must  not  be  content  with  holding  right 
opinions,  but  must  strive  to  make  them  prevalent;  he 
must  not  be  lulled  to  repose  by  the  delusion  that  he  does 
no  harm  who  takes  no  part  in  public  affairs;  he  must 
know  that  the  apathy  of  the  patriot  is  the  opportunity  of 
the  knave;  he  must  not  bend  the  knee  to  boss  or  Baal, 
nor  refuse  the  guidance  of  superior  wisdom  and  recog- 
nized statesmanship;  he  must  never  find  it  his  interest  to 
be  ignorant  of  what  it  is  his  duty  to  know;  he  must  never 
treat  the  public  purse  with  less  consideration  than  his 
neighbor's  pocket;  he  must  never  sleep  on  his  post  or 
desert  to  the  enemy;  he  must  never  cease  to  improve  him- 
self, but  must  never  call  in  the  enemies  of  his  principles  to 
correct  his  defects. 

That  is  the  man  I  have  fashioned  in  your  hearing,  in 
the  character  of  a  citizen,  and  you  can  plainly  see  I  gave 
him  no  endowment  that  he  can  spare  from  his  equipment 
for  this  exalted  role.  You  may  say  this  is  an  ideal  citizen, 
fit  only  for  the  republic  of  Plato,  or  the  Utopia  of  Sir 
Thomas  More;  but  patriotism  can  transmute  the  ideal 
into  the  real  citizen,  and  it  must  do  so  if  our  institutions 
are  to  endure.  That  is  the  meaning  of  Stephen  Girard's 
injunction,  that  a  pure  attachment  to  our  republican  insti- 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.    MARRIOTT    BROSIUS.  51 

tutions  should  be  formed  and  fostered  in  the  minds  of  the 
scholars.  Our  form  of  government  contemplates  .such 
citizens,  and  only  such  can  be  effective  in  working  out  the 
purpose  of  all  our  political  machinery,  to  give  ascendancy 
to  the  forces  fittest  to  govern  and  to  bring  the  best  reason 
and  conscience  to  expression  in  the  government  of  the 
state. 

These  desirable  results  require  the  best  men  to  take  a 
part  in  the  agencies  which  form  and  guide  the  collective 
action.  The  good  citizen  should  do  his  own  thinking. 
He  should  climb  to  the  best  outlook  and  come  to  his  own 
conclusions.  He  should  strive  to  be  a  man  of  light  and 
leading  in  his  community.  He  must  distinguish  the 
counterfeit  from  the  real  sentiment  of  the  people;  he  must 
not  be  misled  by  the  cry  swelled  by  the  least  capable.  The 
noisy  few  ofttimes  arrest  more  attention  than  the  quiet 
multitude.  He  must  avoid  "  foolometers,"  which  Sydney 
Smith  defines  as  "  the  acquaintance  of  a  few  regular  fools 
as  a  test  of  public  opinion,"  and,  which  I  regret  to  say,  is 
too  much  in  vogue  in  our  public  life.  He  must  avoid  the 
dangerous  delusion  suggested  by  John  Fiske,  that  civil 
government  in  the  United  States  dropped  from  heaven, 
or  was  specially  created  by  miracle,  and  will  continue  to 
run  by  divine  agency,  without  the  aid  of  the  citizen, — in 
other  words,  that  Providence  takes  care  of  children,  idiots 
and  the  United  States.  It  has  been  truly  said  that  God 
has  never  endowed  any  statesman  or  philosopher  with 
wisdom  enough  to  frame  a  system  of  government  that 
everybody  could  go  off  and  leave.  Some  people  in  politics 
are  like  the  philosopher  who,  when  informed  that  his 
house  was  on  fire,  coolly  replied,  "Go  tell  my  wife;  I 
never  meddle  with  household  affairs." 


52  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

And  so  the  outposts  of  good  government  are  aban- 
doned, the  patriot  army  furloughed,  government  falls  into 
disrepute,  the  State  suffers,  the  city  languishes  for  a  breath 
of  pure  political  air,  the  public  service  is  inefficient  because 
plundered  by  profligate  politics,  the  honor  of  the  govern- 
ment is  tarnished,  its  power  enfeebled,  its  administration 
corrupted,  its  glory  dimmed,  because  a  portion  of  the 
people  who  have  no  motive  to  make  other  than  the  best 
possible  government  abstain  from  participation  in  political 
duties.  This  is  not  patriotism  or  good  citizenship.  It  is 
culpable  neglect,  if  not  base  cowardice. 

I  commend  to  you  nobler  examples  of  citizenship  and 
grander  ideas  of  duty.  General  Sherman  said,  "Teach 
your  children  to  honor  the  flag,  to  respect  the  laws,  and 
to  love  and  understand  our  institutions,  and  our  glorious 
country  will  be  safe."  General  Meade,  taking  his  farewell 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  said,  "  Let  us  earnestly  pray 
for  strength  and  light  to  discharge  our  duties  as  citizens." 

Now,  my  young  friends,  I  have  shown  you  a  man  and  a 
citizen.  I  have  brought  to  your  view  the  principles  whose 
cultivation  the  Founder  of  this  College  enjoined,  for  he 
knew  they  were  indispensable  to  good  men  and  good 
citizens.  I  have  coupled  them  with  examples  for  your 
study.  If  you  value  the  principles,  you  will  emulate  the 
examples  and  make  your  lives  worthy  the  inheritance  of 
blessings  you  enjoy,  and  show  the  world  the  bright  and 
perfect  flower  of  Christian  manhood  and  American  citizen- 
ship. 


OF  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


ADDRESS 

BY  THOMAS   P.  LONSDALE,  '71, 
President  of  the  Girard  College  Alumni. 


In  the  reflected  light  of  the  noble  sentiments  so  elo- 
quently expressed  by  the  distinguished  speakers  who  have 
preceded  me,  some  ray,  I  trust,  may  illuminate  my  humble, 
tribute  to  this  memorable  occasion. 

Leaving  the  College  in  1871,  the  midway  point  almost  of 
the  period  we  celebrate  to-day,  the  men  and  interests  that 
filled  those  fateful  years  of  the  first  half  are  a  vanishing 
memory,  peopled  with  shadowy  forms,  while  the  throb: 
bing  activities  of  the  second  half  are  still  present,  as  our 
hands  reach  forth  in  guidance"  of  the  hesitating  steps  now 
crossing  the  threshold  of  new  endeavor. 

"  The  more  we  live,  more  brief  appear 

Our  life's  succeeding  stages ; 

A  day  to  childhood  seems  a  year, 

And  years  like  passing  ages." 

To  the  youth  looking  forward,  in  the  rosy  glow  of  the 
morning  and  from  the  vantage-ground  possessed  by  my 
interesting  audience,  the  busy  world  holds  much  that 
attracts,  while  its  difficulties  are  masked  under  a  misty 
film  that  half  conceals,  half  reveals,  but  which  the  earnest 
vitality  of  the  novice  attacks  with  confidence  to  brush 
aside  and  press  on  to  great  achievement. 

With  adequate  equipment,  difficulties  are  overcome,  but 

4  53 


or  THE 
UNIVERSITY 


54  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

in  the  preparation  for  the  encounter  many  essentials  may 
be  overlooked,  or  their  value  miscalculated,  and  the  strug- 
gling combatant  finds,  too  late,  his  competitors,  better 
prepared,  meeting  conditions  and  answering  problems  in 
a  way  that  chagrins  and  disappoints.  "  And  are  there  still 
new  worlds  to  conquer?"  asks  our  young  Alexander. 

In  the  field  of  discovery,  what  of  the  frozen  North,  the 
pathways  blazed  by  Melville,  Greely,  Peary,  Nansen,  and 
the  Yukon's  icy  steeps  of  golden  promise?  And  of  inven- 
tion. Have  the  ends  of  the  earth  been  united  in  vain  over 
land  and  beneath  seas  by  Morse,  Edison,  Tesla?  And  in 
mechanics.  Is  the  list  complete  with  Ericsson,  Westing- 
house,  and  Maxim;  in  ship-building  and  locomotives  with 
Cramps  and  Baldwins?  And  will  statesmanship  halt  and 
hesitate  after  Seward  and  Elaine  and  Reed?  Is  literature 
a  lost  art,  embalmed  in  Hawthorne,  Whittier,  Longfellow, 
and  Lowell?  Hear  Longfellow's  voice: 

''Where  are  the  stately  argosies  of  song? 
Perhaps  there  lives  some  dreamy  boy,  untaught 
In  schools,  some  graduate  of  the  field  or  street 
Who  shall  become  a  master  of  the  art, 
An  admiral  sailing  the  high  seas  of  thought, 
Fearless  and  first  and  steering  with  his  fleet 
For  lands  not  yet  laid  down  in  any  chart. ' ' 

In  the  wise  bounty  of  Stephen  Girard,  none  of  the  great 
essentials  for  life  work  have  been  omitted,  and  the  genera- 
tions of  lads  who  have  enjoyed  the  fostering  care  of  his 
College,  so  nobly  founded,  have  received  their  training  and 
tuition  from  a  corps  of  instructors  whose  conscientious 
efforts  not  only  instilled  those  "  pure  principles  of  mo- 
rality and  justice"  that  he  esteemed  so  highly,  but  whose 
example  of  right  living  taught  those  broader  views  of  up- 
right manhood  that  were  to  give  the  after  blessing. 


ADDRESS    BY    THOMAS    P.    LONSDALE,     /I.  55 

"  Large  was  his  bounty,  and  his  soul  sincere, 

Heaven  did  a  recompense  as  largely  send  ; 
He  gave  to  misery  (all  he  had)  a  tear ; 

He  gained  from  Heaven  ('twas  all  he  wish'd)  a  friend." 

To  the  care-worn  business  man,  under  the  merciless 
rays  of  the  mid-day  sun,  or  in  the  quiet  light  of  the  evening- 
hour,  a  look  backward  brings  to  mind  much  that  yields  a 
glint  of  pleasure  and  some  results  gained  under  pressure  of 
duty  alone,  whose  recompense  ennobles;  but  the  average 
success  attained  by  the  right  use  of  the  training  so  liberally 
bestowed  carries  its  own  reward  in  that  "  contentment 
which  is  great  gain." 

Shall  the  crowding  competitions  of  life  hold  no  cheer 
for  those  who  "  cross  the  great  divide  and  face  the  setting 
sun"?  Surely  the  great  names  of  laurel-crowned  memory 
lacked  not  length  of  days  or  strength  of  years  by  reason 
of  duty  well  done  or  lasting  achievement!  And  yon  monu- 
ment of  chiselled  stone,  with  its  threescore  names  of  lusty 
youth,  who  answered  the  bugle  call  to  duty,  records  a 
noble  sacrifice  laid  upon  our  country's  altar;  while  its  civic 
pride  has  not  failed  in  lists  of  loyal  manhood. 

Can  those  who  look  forzvard  from  the  protecting  and 
sheltering  walls  of  this  Institution  afford  to  forget  the 
benefaction,  the  precepts  and  examples  of  the  benefactor? 
And  can  we,  who  are  passing  the  meridian,  look  backward 
without  a  kindling  of  the  eye  and  quicker  beating  of  heart- 
throbs in  grateful  recognition  of  his  all-pervading  and 
satisfying  wisdom? 

^"  Let  us,  then,  be  up  and  doing, 

With  a  heart  for  any  fate  ; 
Still  achieving,  still  pursuing, 
Learn  to  labor  and  to  wait. ' ' 


EXERCISES-8  P.M. 


OF  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


PRAYER 

BY    BENJAMIN   B.  COMEGYS,  ESQ., 
Of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts. 

(Selected  from  the  Manual  of  the  Chapel  of  Girard  College.) 


Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven,  Hallowed  be  thy  name. 
Thy  kingdom  come.  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is 
in  heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.  And  for- 
give us  our  trespasses,  as  we  forgive  those  who  trespass 
against  us.  And  lead  us  not  into  temptation;  but  deliver 
us  from  evil :  For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and 
the  glory,  for  ever.  Amen. 

O  Lord  our  God,  we  thank  Thee  for  our  lives,  and  all 
the  gifts  of  grace  and  nature;  for  instruction  in  divine 
truth;  for  the  voice  of  Thy  calling,  repeated  so  often;  for 
Thy  patience,  Thy  long-suffering  towards  us,  who  have  so 
often  and  so  grievously  sinned  against  Thee;  for  all  the 
benefits  we  have  received;  for  any  good  we  may  have 
done;  for  the  enjoyment  of  present  good;  for  Thy  promise 
and  our  hope  of  good  to  come;  for  wise  teachers;  for 
benefactors  never  to  be  forgotten;  for  brethren  of  one 
mind  with  us;  for  kind  friends;  for  all  who,  by  their 
writings  or  examples,  have  helped  us  on  our  way.  For  all 
these  mercies,  and  for  all  others  known  or  unknown,  re- 
membered or  forgotten,  we  would  bkss  and  praise  Thee 
now  and  forever. 

Most  merciful  Father,  we  render  thanks  to  Thee  for 

59 


6O.  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

providing  the  means  for  our  maintenance  and  instruction. 
We  thank  Thee  that  Thou  didst  move  the  Founder  of  this 
Institution  to  bequeath  his  wealth  for  its  endowment. 
May  we  cherish  the  memory  of  his  beneficence,  and  the 
gratitude  we  owe  to  him,  who  was  an  instrument  in  Thy 
hands  for  our  good.  On  this  anniversary  of  the  opening 
of  his  College  may  we  form  new  and  stronger  resolutions, 
to  live  in  a  manner  worthy  of  our  privileges;  to  improve 
our  time  and  opportunities,  and  be  prepared  for  useful  and 
happy  lives. 

May  we  imitate  the  example  of  our  benefactor  in  his 
industry,  his  honesty,  his  temperance,  his  public  spirit,  and 
in  all  parts  of  his  conduct  and  character  which  were  in 
accordance  with  Thy  holy  will. 

O  God,  who  seest  that  we  have  no  power  of  ourselves, 
that  we  are  not  wise  enough  for  our  own  direction,  nor 
strong  enough  for  our  own  defence,  help  us  to  acknowl- 
edge Thee  in  all  our  ways,  so  that  we  may  not  lean  on  our 
own  understanding.  Let  Thy  light  guide  us,  Thy  provi- 
dence protect  us,  Thy  grace  help  us  faithfully  to  discharge 
all  our  duties;  that,  being  armed  with  Thy  defence,  we 
may  be  preserved  from  all  dangers. 

Blessed  Lord,  who  hast  given  us  a  new  commandment 
that  we  should  love  one  another,  and  hast  taught  us  that 
where  envy  and  strife  are  there  is  confusion,  and  every  evil 
work;  give  us  grace,  that  we  may  be  kindly  affectioned 
one  to  another.  Help  us  to  put  away  all  bitterness,  and 
wrath,  and  anger,  and  evil  speaking,  with  all  malice;  and 
grant  that,  in  honor  preferring  one  another,  we  may  walk 
in  love,  even  as  Thou,  Lord,  didst  love  us. 

O  Lord  God,  the  Life  of  mortals,  the  Light  of  the  faith- 
ful, the  Strength  of  those  who  labor,  and  the  Repose  of 


PRAYER   BY    BENJAMIN    B.    COMEGYS,  ESQ.  6 1 

the  blessed  dead,  grant  us  a  peaceful  night,  free  from  all 
disturbance,  that  after  an  interval  of  quiet  sleep  we  may  by 
Thy  bounty,  at  the  return  of  light,  be  endued  with  activity, 
and  enabled  in  security  to  render  thanks  to  Thee;  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

Almighty  God,  who  hast  given  us  grace  at  this  time 
with  one  accord  to  make  our  common  supplications  unto 
Thee;  and  dost  promise  that  when  two  or  three  are 
gathered  together  in  Thy  name  Thou  wilt  grant  their  re- 
quests; fulfil  now,  O  Lord,  the  desires  and  petitions  of 
Thy  servants,  as  may  be  most  expedient  for  us;  grant- 
ing us  in  this  world  knowledge  of  Thy  truth,  and  in  the 
world  to  come  life  everlasting.  Amen. 


INTRODUCTORY   REMARKS 

BY    GENERAL  LOUIS  WAGNER, 
President  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts. 


LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: — The  records  show  that  on 
January  i,  1848  (fifty  years  ago  to  a  day  on  Saturday  last), 
there  were  assembled  in  the  room  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  Main  Building,  then  the  chapel  of  Girard  College, 
but  now  containing  Mr.  Girard's  personal  effects,  and 
known  as  the  Memorial  Room,  "  the  Councils  of  the  City, 
and  other  City,  County  and  State  officers,  and  numerous 
citizens,"  "  and  the  College  was  opened  with  a  few  simple 
exercises,  suited  to  the  character  of  the  Institution." 

Mr.  Joseph  R.  Chandler,  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
Philadelphia  in  his  day  and  generation,  as  President  of  the 
Board  of  Directors,  addressed  those  assembled  in  words 
well  fitting  the  time  and  place.  He  congratulated  them 
upon  the  final  accomplishment  of  "the  object  for  which 
the  community  had  so  long  waited  and  for  which  some 
present  had  so  constantly  labored,"  explained  the  details 
adopted  for  putting  into  practical  operation  the  long- 
delayed  plans  of  the  testator,  and  expressed  the  hope  that 
the  results  of  the  institution  would  justify  their  expecta- 
tions. 

Concluding  his  address,  he  introduced  the  Hon.  Joel 
Jones,  the  President  of*  the  College,  who,  in  well-chosen 
62 


OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS    BY    GENERAL    LOUIS    WAGNER.       63 

words,  emphasized  the  suggestions  of  Mr.  Chandler  and 
briefly  outlined  the  general  scope  of  the  College.  In  the 
course  of  his  remarks  he  said, — 

"  Fellow-citizens,  we  are  about  to  enter  upon  the  execu- 
tion of  a  scheme  of  education  in  some  respects  new  and 
difficult,  but  in  every  respect  important.  The  foundation 
of  it  is  a  charity, — munificent  in  its  provisions,  compre- 
hensive and  noble  in  its  objects,  and  far-reaching  in  its 
results.  Should  it  merely  fail,  we  suffer  the  loss  of  a  great 
good;  should  it  ever  be  perverted,  we  may  incur  great 
evils.  But  should  it  be  made  to  accomplish  the  benevo- 
lent designs  of  the  Founder  of  the  College,  we  shall  secure 
to  many  orphans  a  better  inheritance  than  riches." 

And,  finally,  he  said, — 

"  And  now  the  question  comes,  Shall  this  noble  design, 
for  which  the  late  Mr.  Girard  has  made  so  large  provision, 
be  realized?  Shall  these  beautiful  and  enduring  walls  be- 
come the  mausoleum  of  his  hopes,  or  the  emblem  of  a  yet 
more  enduring  and  more  beautiful  moral  and  intellectual 
structure?" 

And  now,  half  a  century  after,  you,  as  the  Councils  and 
other  officers  of  City  and  State,  and  you,  as  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Philadelphia  and  vicinity,  and  we,  as  the 
successors  of  the  then  Board  of  Directors  of  the  College, 
assemble  in  this  larger  hall  to  inquire  of  the  past  and  to 
plan  for  the  future. 

Has  Mr.  Girard's  noble  design  been  realized,  or  has  it 
failed  of  its  purposes?  Have  "these  beautiful  and  en- 
during walls  become  the  mausoleum  of  his  hopes,  or  the 
emblem  of  a  yet  more  enduring  and  more  beautiful  moral 
and  intellectual  structure"? 

As  Chairman  of  this  meeting,  it  is  clearly  not  in  my 


64  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

province,  nor  would  it  be  in  good  taste,  for  me  to  trespass 
upon  the  time  of  the  regular  speakers  of  the  evening  to 
attempt  a  reply  to  these  questions;  but  an  active  connec- 
tion with  the  affairs  of  Girard  College  since  the  first  Mon- 
day of  January,  1867,  thirty-one  years  ago  to-day,  when  I 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  City  Coun- 
cils having  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the  Girard  Estate,  both 
tempts  me  and  enables  me  to  say  that  the  results  of  the 
past  fifty  years  show  ability  in  instruction,  intelligence 
in  management,  integrity  in  administration,  and  always 
fidelity  to  Mr.  Girard's  plans  as  laid  down  in  his  will. 

From  100  pupils  in  1848  we  have  increased  to  over 
1500, — five  times  as  many  as  named  by  Mr.  Girard  as  the 
number  for  which  the  College  was  originally  planned. 
Nearly  6000  have  been  admitted  into  the  College;  4500 
have  become  part  of  the  busy  outside  world,  making  their 
impress  upon  City,  Commonwealth  and  Nation. 

The  endowment  fund  has  increased  from  an  estimated 
value  of  $5,000,000  to  an  estimated  value  of  $26,000,000, 
and  $15,000,000  have  been  expended  in  the  maintenance 
and  enlargement  of  the  College. 

Surely  these  figures  show  that,  numerically  and  finan- 
cially, Mr.  Girard's  plans  have  not  failed,  and  the  thou- 
sands of  young  men,  graduates  of  his  College,  who  rise  up 
and  call  him  blessed,  evidence  by  ability  and  character  that 
they  have  secured  "  a  better  inheritance  than  riches." 

With  such  a  retrospect,  what  a  glorious  prospect! 

With  a  trust  magnificently  endowed,  with  a  charity 
the  grandest  in  the  world,  with  the  record  of  fifty  years 
unparalleled  by  any  public  trust  anywhere,  let  us  all— you, 
as  citizens  and  officers  of  State  and  Nation,  and  we,  as  the 
immediate  administrators*  of  Mr.  Girard's  will,  but,  above 


INTRODUCTORY    REMARKS    BY    GENERAL    LOUIS    WAGNER.       65 

all,  you,  as  the  present  and  former  recipients  of  his  bounty 
— see  to  it  that  that  which  has  come  down  to  us  in  such 
grand  proportions  shall  suffer  no  harm  in  our  day,  so  that 
its  blessings  may  continue  to  increase  and  to  multiply  to 
the  end  of  time. 


HISTORICAL  ADDRESS 

BY  ADAM   H.  FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D., 
President  of  Girard  College. 


In  the  short  time  that  I  shall  occupy  your  attention  this 
evening,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  give  anything  like  a  con- 
nected history  of  Girard  College.  The  story  of  fifty  years 
cannot  be  told  in  a  brief  address.  I  shall  endeavor  to 
notice  only  a  few  of  the  most  important  features  and 
events;  for  particulars  and  statistics  I  must  refer  you  to 
the  printed  page. 

When,  on  the  day  following  Christmas  in  1831,  Phila- 
delphia's most  distinguished  man  and  citizen,  Stephen 
Girard,  passed  away,  there  arose  in  the  minds  of  the  com- 
munity two  questions:  first,  what  is  his  estate?  and, 
second,  what  disposition  has  he  made  of  it?  His  great 
wealth  had  brought  him  great  fame.  Being  the  first 
millionaire  that  America  had  produced,  he  was  naturally 
an  object  of  great  interest  and  curiosity.  Presidents  and 
ex-Presidents  of  the  United  States  were  more  familiar  fig- 
ures in  public  than  were  millionaires  in  Mr.  Girard's  day. 
The  great  banker  had  not  only  a  vast  fortune  of  his  own, 
but  he  had  also  a  mind  of  his  own.  In  nothing  was  this 
more  manifest  than  in  his  last  will  and  testament.  The 
same  keen  foresight  and  singleness  of  purpose  which  he 
displayed  in  the  accumulation  of  his  wealth  are  shown  in 

the  disposition  of  it.  .  He  saw  where  it  would  do  the  most 
66 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


ADDRESS    BY    ADAM    H.    FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D.  6/ 

good,  and  there  he  placed  it.  It  was  the  thought  and  pur- 
pose of  his  later  years  to  assist  those  beginning  life  with 
the  tide  of  fortune  at  the  ebb,  that  they  might  have  a 
better  home  and  a  better  training  than  they  would  receive 
from  the  application  of  the  public  funds.  It  was  the  same 
spirit  which  showed  itself  brave  and  humane  in  time  of 
plague,  public-spirited  and  patriotic  in  time  of  financial 
distress.  The  famous  will  was  written  by  William  J. 
Duane,  of  the  Philadelphia  Bar.  When  the  document 
was  finally  executed,  the  lawyer  said  to  the  testator,  "  It 
will  not  stand."  "  Yes,  it  will,"  replied  the  testator,  and 
time  has  proved  which  was  right. 

The  work  of  erecting  the  first  five  buildings  was  begun 
in  1833,  the  corner-stone  being  laid  with  appropriate  cere- 
monies on  July  4  of  that  year.  A  most  impressive  address 
was  delivered  on  the  occasion  by  Mr.  Nicholas  Biddle, 
a  distinguished  member  of  a  distinguished  family.  The 
original  establishment,  consisting  of  the  Main  Building 
and  the  two  buildings  on  either  side,  was  completed  and 
formally  presented  to  the  Directors  in  November,  1847, 
and  the  College  opened  on  January  i  of  the  ensuing  year. 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  an  effort  was  made 
to  organize  for  the  purpose  of  instruction  in  1838,  ten 
years  before  the  College  was  actually  opened. 

In  1836,  the  Trustees,  with  the  authority  of  the  City 
Councils,  appointed  a  president  of  the  College  in  the  per- 
son of  Alexander  Dallas  Bache,  Professor  of  Natural 
Philosophy  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  who  im- 
mediately sailed  for  Europe  to  examine  similar  institu- 
tions abroad,  and  to  purchase  books  and  apparatus.  On 
the  return  of  Professor  Bache,  two  years  later,  the  Trustees 
were  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  informed  by  the  Com- 


I 
68  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


missioners  of  the  Girard  Estate  that  their  counsel,  John 
Sergeant,  had  decided  that  the  duties  of  the  College  could 
not  begin  until  the  whole  was  completed.  This  was  a 
great  surprise  and  no  little  embarrassment  to  the  Trustees, 
and  a  sad  disappointment  to  the  people  of  the  city.  The 
President-elect,  after  publishing  a  voluminous  report  of 
his  visit  to  Europe,  returned  to  his  professorship  in  the 
University,  and  in  1843  became  Superintendent  of  the 
Coast  Survey. 

A  word  of  praise  is  due  the  architect  of  the  first  College 
buildings,  Mr.  Thomas  U.  Walter.  His  task  was  not  an 
easy  one.  He  had  in  this  country  no  precedent.  He  built 
the  first  Grecian  temple  in  the  United  States,  and  the  finest 
specimen  in  existence  at  the  present  day.  He  was  obliged 
to  serve  a  building  committee  the  membership  of  which 
was  constantly  changing  under  the  system  of  making  ap- 
pointments then  in  vogue.  And  yet  we  find  in  every  an- 
nual report  of  the  committee  none  but  words  of  praise  for 
the  architect.  They  uniformly  commend  the  skill,  good 
taste  and  faithfulness  with  which  he  managed  this  colossal 
work.  He  had  the  community  to  please  also.  People 
were  impatient  to  see  the  great  College  completed,  and 
during  the  progress  of  the  work  there  were  many  and  con- 
stant complaints  and  expressions  of  impatience.  Even 
Charles  Dickens,  in  his  "American  Notes,"  takes  occasion 
to  criticise  the  American  people  for  not  hurrying  to  com- 
pletion the  gigantic  structure.  He  says,  "  Near  the  city 
is  a  most  splendid  unfinished  marble  structure  for  the 
Girard  College,  founded  by  a  deceased  gentleman  of  that 
name,  and  of  enormous  wealth,  which,  if  completed  ac- 
cording to  the  original  design,  will  be  perhaps  the  richest 
edifice  of  modern  timesV  But  the  bequest  is  involved  in 


ADDRESS    BY    ADAM    H.    FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D.  69 

legal  disputes,  and  pending  them  the  work  has  stopped; 
so  that,  like  many  other  great  undertakings  in  America, 
even  this  is  rather  going  to  be  done  one  of  these  days,  than 
doing  now." 

One  of  the  chief  causes  of  delay  was  the  scarcity  o* 
skilled  workmen.  At  one  time  the  building  committee 
advertised  for  stone-cutters  in  Boston,  New  York  and 
Baltimore,  and  the  result  was  the  accession  of  only  three 
men. 

But  notwithstanding  the  many  and  unavoidable  delays 
and  interruptions  in  the  work,  probably  never  before  was 
there  a  building  of  such  size  and  finish  constructed  as 
rapidly  as  our  Main  Building.  The  Church  of  the  Made- 
leine, in  Paris,  of  similar  architecture,  and  perhaps  equal 
to  it  in  magnitude,  was  twenty-seven  years  in  building, 
not  including  the  time  when,  on  account  of  national 
troubles,  all  such  operations  were  suspended  in  the  French 
capital. 

It  is  a  matter  of  some  interest  that,  while  Mr.  Girard 
was  most  explicit  in  the  details  of  the  several  structures, 
he  does  not  mention  the  portico  of  the  Main  Building. 
As  this  addition  involved  an  outlay  of  several  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  there  was  much  criticism,  and  the  build- 
ing committee  were  charged  with  extravagance.  The 
committee  in  their  final  report  say,  "  There  is  nothing  that 
could  have  been  omitted,  except  the  surrounding  portico; 
and  that  is  fully  justified,  if  not  required,  by  the  injunction 
of  Mr.  Girard,  that  'utility  and  good  taste  should  be  left 
to  determine  in  the  particulars  not  specified  in  the  will.' 
This  portico  was  adopted  by  Councils  after  great  delibera- 
tion, and  with  singular  unanimity;  and  it  only  remains  for 
those  who  object,  to  look  at  the  building  and  say  whether 

5 


7O  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

it  would  have  been  a  tasteful  object  had  the  proportions 
given  by  Mr.  Girard  been  adhered  to,  and  the  surrounding 
portico  omitted." 

The  order  of  architecture  has  often  been  commented 
upon  and  criticised  on  the  ground  that  expense  might 
have  been  avoided  if  an  order  less  ornate  had  been  chosen. 
Both  the  architect  and  building  committee  declare  that 
the  Corinthian  style  was  chosen  for  the  sake  of  economy 
alone.  The  plan  and  general  style  having  once  been  de- 
cided upon,  it  was  necessary  to  choose  one  of  the  three 
Grecian  orders, — the  Doric,  Ionic  or  Corinthian.  Of 
these,  the  last  named  was  the  least  expensive.  A  Doric 
column  capable  of  reaching  so  high  would  have  required 
a  thickness  of  nine  and  a  half  feet,  which  would  have  made 
it  cost  twice  as  much  as  one  of  the  Corinthian  columns. 
The  Ionic  order,  in  like  manner,  would  have  demanded  a 
thicker  shaft,  and  capitals  carved  from  a  single  block  of 
marble. 

The  most  important  event  between  the  time  of  laying 
the  corner-stone  and  the  opening  of  the  College  was  the 
famous  Girard  Will  Contest.  The  heirs-at-law  instituted 
a  suit  in  1836.  The  case  did  not  come  up  for  hearing  until 
six  years  later,  when  it  was  decided  in  favor  of  the  will. 
It  was  argued  in  the  Supreme  Court  in  1843;  a  rehearing 
ordered,  and  again  argued  the  following  year,  Daniel 
Webster  having  in  the  mean  time  been  retained  by  the 
heirs.  Mr.  Webster  realized  that  he  had  a  weak  case  in 
point  of  law,  but  he  readily  detected  a  method  by  which  he 
could  go  boldly  outside  the  law,  and  substitute  for  argu- 
ment "  an  impassioned  appeal  to  emotion  and  prejudice." 

Webster's  plea  was  for  the  Christian  Religion,  and  so 
powerful  was  the  speech  in  its  eulogy  and  defence,  that  the 


ADDRESS    BY    ADAM    H.    FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D.  7 1 

people  of  Washington,  irrespective  of  denomination,  held 
a  meeting,  and  appointed  a  committee  to  wait  on  Mr. 
Webster  and  ask  permission  to  have  his  address  printed. 
He  gave  his  assent,  and  it  was  afterwards  published  and 
widely  disseminated. 

The  plea  was  eloquent,  sentimental  and  even  pathetic. 
But  eloquence,  sentiment  and  pathos  are  not  argument. 
Webster  failed  to  prove  that  Girard  College  must  of  ne- 
cessity be  an  anti-Christian  institution,  and  the  Supreme 
Court  decided  unanimously  in  favor  of  the  will  and  the 
College.  Chief  Justice  Story  ruled  that  an  institution  may 
be  Christian  without  being  sectarian,  and  that  there  could 
be  religious  instruction  even  though  the  minister,  mis- 
sionary and  ecclesiastic  be  excluded. 

The  lawyers  for  the  will  were  John  Sergeant  and  Horace 
Binney,  of  the  Philadelphia  Bar,  and  with  such  signal 
ability  and  learning  did  they  conduct  their  case,  that 
President  Tyler  was  moved  to  confer  a  seat  on  the  Su- 
preme Bench  first  to  Mr.  Sergeant  and  then  to  Mr.  Bin- 
ney, an  honor  which  they  both  declined. 

As  early  as  1833,  the  idea  suggested  itself  to  the  minds 
of  prominent  citizens  of  Philadelphia  that  Girard's  remains 
should  repose  in  Girard's  college.  In  the  same  year  the 
building  committee  were  authorized  by  Councils  to  con- 
struct a  vault  in  the  Main  Building,  in  the  most  suitable 
and  durable  manner,  and  were  further  directed  to  transfer 
the  remains  thither  as  soon  as  might  be.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, until  1851,  eighteen  years  later,  that  the  body  of  the 
Founder  was  brought  to  the  Institution.  The  occasion 
was  a  great  civic  pageant,  and  was  conducted  entirely 
by  the  Masonic  Order.  The  procession  was  one  of  the 
largest  of  its  kind  ever  seen  in  the  city,  the  number  of 


72  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

Masons  in  line  being  over  fifteen  hundred.  The  remains 
were  deposited  in  the  south  vestibule  of  the  Main  Build- 
ing, in  the  marble  sarcophagus  where  they  still  repose. 

On  January  i,  1848,  there  assembled  in  the  old  chapel, 
which  is  now  the  Memorial  Room,  the  directors,  teachers, 
officers  and  pupils  of  the  Girard  College.  There  were  six- 
teen directors,  seventeen  officers  and  teachers,  and  one 
hundred  pupils.  These  constituted  the  College  at  its  first 
opening.  Of  the  sixteen  directors,  only  one  survives, — 
Mr.  Frederick  Fraley.  Of  the  teachers,  Miss  Mary  Lynch, 
who  died  June  22,  1897,  was  the  last  to  pass  away.  All 
the  other  officers — president,  matron,  steward  and  teachers 
— have  gone  to  their  reward. 

As  no  boy  could  be  admitted  over  ten  years  of  age,  the 
College  was  at  first  a  school  for  children, — an  elementary 
school.  There  was  no  need  of  a  college  department,  since 
there  were  no  boys  ready  for  college  instruction.  As  the 
boys  grew  in  years,  the  demand  for  higher  instruction 
grew,  and  the  upper  forms  became  a  necessity.  The  first 
complete  curriculum  was  adopted  in  1853,  an(^  tne  ^rst 
class  was  graduated  in  1854. 

The  number  of  boys  has  grown  from  one  hundred  in 
January,  1848,  to  fifteen  hundred  and  thirty-six  in  Jan- 
uary, 1898.  The  buildings  have  increased  from  five  to 
fourteen,  and  the  staff  of  teachers  and  officers  from  seven- 
teen to  one  hundred  and  fifteen. 

The  number  of  teachers  and  officers  connected  with  the 
College  since  its  opening  is  349;  pupils,  5,899. 

There  have  been  but  four  Presidents  of  the  College. 
At  the  opening  in  1848,  the  Hon.  Joel  Jones,  formerly  a 
judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Philadelphia,  was 
elected  to  the  position,  but  remained  in  charge  less  than 


OP  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


ADDRESS    BY   ADAM    H.    FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D.  73 

two  years.  He  was  succeeded  in  1850  by  Dr.  William  H. 
Allen,  then  a  professor  in  Dickinson  College.  With  the 
exception  of  an  interval  of  four  years, — from  1863  to  1867, 
when  Major  Richard  Somers  Smith,  a  graduate  of  West 
Point,  was  the  executive, — he  remained  in  the  presidency 
until  his  death  in  1882.  No  one  could  have  been  better 
fitted  for  this  office  by  natural  temperament  and  training 
than  Dr.  Allen.  With  fine  presence,  superior  talents, 
genial  disposition,  and  rare  executive  ability,  he  was  pe- 
culiarly adapted  for  the  labors  and  responsibilities  of  a 
position  the  duties  of  which  are  so  many  and  so  varied. 
The  chancel  window  of  this  chapel  bears  testimony  to  the 
regard  and  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  Alumni 
of  the  College. 

There  have  been  also  four  Vice-Presidents  of  the  Col- 
lege since  the  position  was  first,  created  in  1877.  Henry 
W.  Arey,  A.M.,  Adam  H.  Fetterolf,  LL.D.,  Henry  D. 
Gregory,  LL.D.,  and  Winthrop  D.  Sheldon,  A.M.,  the 
present  incumbent. 

In  fulfilling  the  plans  of  its  Founder,  the  College  has 
three  purposes  in  view.  First,  to  provide  for  the  orphan 
wards  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia  a  comfortable  and  happy 
home,  in  which  their  health  and  physical  welfare  shall  be 
duly  cared  for,  so  that  they  may  grow  up  to  a  sound  and 
vigorous  manhood;  second,  to  furnish  such  education  of 
head  and  hand  as  shall  prepare  them  for  intelligent  and 
industrious  citizenship;  and  third,  to  give  them  such 
training  in  all  the  essentials  of  character  as  shall  fit  them 
to  be  upright,  law-abiding  and  useful  members  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  they  may  hereafter  dwell.  To  accomplish 
these  objects,  the  College  was  organized  and  is  carried  on. 

In    directing   what    branches    should    be    taught,    the 


74  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

Founder  designates  but  does  not  restrict.  The  will  on  this 
point  is  liberal  and  comprehensive,  and,  like  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States,  has  its  elastic  clause,  namely, 
"  I  would  have  them  taught  facts  and  things  rather  than 
words  and  signs."  Under  this  provision,  the  course  of 
study  has  been  often  extended  and  revised  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  experience,  and  to  keep  abreast  with  the  times 
and  current  progress  in  education.  The  last  fifty  years 
cover  a  period  of  great  educational  awakening.  There 
have  been  so  many  changes,  that  we  have  come  to  speak 
of  the  education  of  the  present  day  as  the  new  education. 
Yet  these  changes  have  not,  in  every  instance,  meant  im- 
provements. Many  experiments  have  proved  failures.  In 
speaking  of  this  subject,  our  learned  Commissioner  of 
Education,  Dr.  William  T.  Harris,  says,  "  Experiments 
are  so  costly  that  one  must  be  cautious  in  undertaking 
them.  Ninety-nine  fail  and  one  succeeds."  Our  policy 
has  been  to  keep  well  abreast  of  the  times,  and  to  take  up 
with  a  new  idea,  not  because  it  is  new,  but  because  it  is 
good;  and  to  give  up  old  methods  and  old  systems,  not 
because  they  are  old,  but  because  they  are  no  longer  the 
best. 

The  boys  of  the  Girard  College  need  a  practical  train- 
ing. They:  need,  in  addition  to  knowledge  and  intelli- 
gence, skill  and  efficiency.  They  must  have  that  which 
will  enable  them  to  earn  their  livelihood  as  soon  as  they 
leave  school.  For  this  reason,  we  have  always  endeavored 
to  teach  all  our  pupils  to  do  everything  with  thoroughness 
and  accuracy.  In  all  grades,  special  emphasis  is  placed 
upon  those  studies  which  will  directly  prepare  the  pupil 
for  efficient  service  in  that  class  of  pursuits  into  which  he 
will  enter.  At  the  same 'time,  it  is  steadily  kept  in  view 


ADDRESS    BY    ADAM    H.    FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D.  75 

that  education  is  not  merely  a  preparation  for  bread-win- 
ning, but  is  far  more  than  this, — a  preparation  for  broad, 
generous,  useful  life, — for  living  itself. 

The  corner-stone  was  laid  on  July  4,  1833,  precisely  at 
the  hour  of  noon.  It  was  a  happy  thought  that  such  an 
event  should  be  celebrated  on  Independence  Day.  It 
suggested  patriotism  as  one  of  the  cardinal  virtues  to  be 
kept  before  the  minds  of  the  youth  who  come  here  to  be 
educated;  the  same  thought  that  the  Founder  had  in  mind 
when  in  his  will  he  directs  that  "  by  every  proper  means  a 
pure  attachment  to  our  republican  institutions  should  be 
formed  and  fostered  in  the  minds  of  the  scholars."  And 
every  one  familiar  with  the  College  will  bear  testimony 
that  a  more  patriotic  company  of  boys  than  those  who  are 
gathered  from  time  to  time  within  the  College  enclosure 
cannot  be  found  anywhere.  Love  for  the  flag,  respect  and 
veneration  for  our  patriotic  soldiers  and  statesmen,  and 
loyalty  to  the  government  that  protects  them,  are  always 
before  their  minds.  This,  with  the  efficient  military  train- 
ing which  they  are  constantly  receiving,  makes  them  citi- 
zens upon  whom  the  government  can  depend  to  do  honest 
and  intelligent  voting  in  time  of  peace,  and  brave  fighting 
in  time  of  war.  The  Soldiers'  Monument,  standing  within 
the  grounds,  unveiled  in  1869,  bears  testimony  to  the  fact 
that  Girard  College  patriotism  is  not  sentiment  only.  At 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  about  three  hundred  boys  had 
left  the  College.  How  many  of  these  enlisted  we  do  not 
exactly  know,  but  the  monument  bears  record  that  at  least 
twenty-five  gave  their  lives  for  their  country. 

Under  the  will  of  the  Founder,  the  boys  on  leaving  the 
College  are  to  be  "bound  out"  "to  suitable  occupations, 
as  those  of  agriculture,  navigation  and  mechanical  trades, 


76  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

arts  and  manufactures."  While  the  old  apprentice  system 
which  obtained  in  Mr.  Girard's  time  was  a  help  and  a  con- 
venience in  the  early  history  of  the  College,  it  gradually 
became  a  serious  hinderance.  Employers  refused  to  enter 
into  the  obligation  of  master,  and  the  average  boy  dis- 
liked the  idea  of  being  an  indentured  apprentice  bound 
to  an  employer  for  a  definite  number  of  years;  so  that 
binding  out  grew  more  and  more  into  disfavor,  until  it 
finally  became  a  question  of  whether  we  should  give  up 
the  apprenticing,  or  close  to  our  boys  many  avenues  of 
business  offering  the  best  opportunities  for  bright  and  en- 
ergetic lads.  The  Board  of  Directors  wisely  chose  the 
former  alternative.  Under  our  present  system,  when  a 
boy  has  found  suitable  employment,  or  has  reached  the 
age  when  the  authorities  think  he  should  no  longer  remain 
in  the  Institution,  his  college  indenture  is  cancelled,  and 
he  is  returned  to  his  mother  or  next  friend.  While  we 
consider  ourselves  thus  legally  relieved  from  all  responsi- 
bility, we  still  keep  an  oversight  over  the  boy  until  he  be- 
-comes  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Our  Superintendent  of 
Admission  and  Indentures  visits,  as  far  as  he  is  able,  all 
boys  under  twenty-one  years  of  age  at  least  once  a  year. 

The  gentlemen  who,  from  time  to  time,  have  had  the 
responsibility  of  directing  the  affairs  of  the  College  and  of 
the  Girard  Estate  have  ever  been  the  best  of  the  city,— 
men  distinguished  for  their  intelligence,  integrity  and 
good  business  judgment.  For  the  first  twenty-two  years, 
the  Trust  was  administered  by  a  board  of  sixteen  direc- 
tors chosen  by  the  City  Councils, — four  being  appointed 
each  year.  A  serious  objection  to  this  system  of  appoint- 
ment was  the  short  and  uncertain  tenure  of  office,  and  a 
lack  of  permanency  and  stability  in  a  body  having  to  make 


ADDRESS    BY    ADAM    H.    FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D.  77 

many  and  important  business  contracts.  During  the 
twenty-two  years  that  this  system  obtained,  there  were  on 
the  board  of  management  ninety-five  different  directors, — 
each  having  served  an  average  of  four  years. 

An  act  creating  the  present  Board  of  Directors  of  City 
Trusts  was  approved  by  the  Governor  on  the  thirtieth 
day  of  June,  1869,  and  the  first  board  was  appointed  two 
months  later.  The  City  Councils  refused  to  acknowledge 
the  right  of  the  new  board,  and  an  appeal  was  made  to  the 
courts  to  test  the  validity  of  the  act  of  the  Legislature 
creating  it.  Justice  Sherwood  delivered  the  unanimous 
opinion  of  the  court  affirming  the  validity  of  the  law.  The 
city  then  withdrew  its  opposition,  and  the  new  board  took 
charge  February  25,  1870.  Under  the  existing  system 
there  have  been  in  twenty-eight  years  twenty-seven  mem- 
bers, and  the  average  term  of  service  twelve  years. 

Under  their  management,  the  Residuary  Fund  has  in- 
creased one  hundred  per  cent.,  and  the  net  income  two 
hundred  per  cent.  There  has  been  a  general  improved  con- 
dition of  the  grounds  and  buildings,  steam  heating  and 
electric  lighting  throughout,  and  a  filtering  plant  by  which 
our  entire  water  supply  is  purified.  In  the  educational 
work,  the  improvements  of  recent  years  include  our 
manual  training  school,  thoroughly  equipped  in  all  its  de- 
partments, and  ranking  among  the  earliest  and  best  in  the 
country;  the  department  of  natural  history,  with  its  well 
selected  museum;  the  addition  of  a  laboratory  to  the 
course  of  chemistry  and  physics;  our  school  of  typewriting 
and  shorthand,  and  the  increase  of  our  library,  recently 
catalogued.  We  have  also  introduced,  most  successfully, 
systematic  voice  culture,  with  instruction  in  sight  reading 
and  part  singing,  calisthenics,  military  science  and  tactics, 


78  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

and  thrift  teaching,  by  which  the  boys  are  encouraged  to 
put  in  a  saving-fund  the  little  sums  of  money  given  them 
from  time  to  time.  In  this  way  we  hope  to  foster  the  habit 
of  saving,  so  important  in  the  man  and  the  citizen,  in  a 
country  where  waste  and  extravagance  are  so  general. 

What  becomes  of  our  boys?  This  is  of  all  questions 
the  most  important.  What  is  the  College,  with  its  munifi- 
cent endowments,  its  stately  buildings,  and  its  grand 
equipment,  doing  for  the  lads  entrusted  to  its  care  and 
training?  We  must  estimate  it,  as  we  do  a  family,  a  com- 
munity or  a  State,  by  the  citizens  it  produces. 

Count  Bismarck  says,  "  One-third  of  the  students  of  the 
German  universities  destroy  themselves  by  dissipation; 
one-third  wear  themselves  out  by  overwork,  and  the  rest 
govern  Europe."  President  David  Starr  Jordan,,  of  the 
Leland  Stanford,  Jr.,  University,  in  alluding  to  this  state- 
ment of  the  distinguished  German  statesman,  observes 
that  while  the  numerical  quality  of  these  three  classes  can- 
not be  insisted  upon,  we  still  recognize  that  something  of 
this  sort  is  true  of  the  college  students  of  America,  adding 
that,  "  One  part '  go  to  the  dogs,'  one  part  go  to  the  grave, 
and  the  rest  are  the  strength  of  the  Republic."  This  is  a 
rather  startling  statement,  and  if  true,  a  sad  one, — that 
only  one-third  of  the  young  men  who  attend  the  univer- 
sities and  colleges  are  saved  to  live  a  life  of  usefulness. 

The  Girard  boy  is  neither  born  great,  nor  does  he  have 
greatness  thrust  upon  him.  His  greatness  is  his  own 
achievement.  When  he  leaves  his  Alma  Mater,  he  must 
at  once  earn  his  own  living.  This  may  be  a  hardship,  but 
not  a  misfortune. 

During  the  last  two  months  we  have  been  trying,  with 
the  assistance  of  a  Committee  of  the  Alumni,  to  collect  in- 


ADDRESS    BY    ADAM    H.    FETTEROLF,  PH.D.,  LL.D.  79 


formation  as  to  how  many  of  the  graduates  are  living  and 
how  they  have  prospered.  While  the  statistics  are  still  far 
from  being  complete,  they  are  very  valuable  in  enabling 
us  to  see  the  results  of  the  training  boys  have  received 
while  in  the  College. 

The  occupations  they  have  taken  up  are  about  as  varied 
as  would  be  those  of  the  same  number  of  boys  going  out 
from  the  public  schools.  About  thirty  per  cent,  are  engaged 
in  mechanical  or  kindred  pursuits.  Some  have  entered 
the  professions.  Some  have  become  successful  journalists, 
while  others  have  held  high  official  positions  in  the  city, 
the  State  and  the  nation.  Fully  ninety  per  cent,  are  doing, 
and  have  done,  credit  to  themselves  and  their  early  home. 
After  an  experience  of  seventeen  years  with  the  boys  of 
Girard  College,  I  have  been  convinced  that  no  lads  go  out 
into  life  with  better  ideals.  They  have  no  other  thought 
than  that  of  winning  their  own  way,  to  do  and  be  that 
which  makes  sterling  manhood  and  good  citizenship.  It 
is  the  boast  of  the  famous  Winchester  School  that  it  makes 
good  Englishmen.  Girard  College  claims  that  it  makes 
good  Americans. 

For  over  a  dozen  years,  our  Superintendent  of  Admis- 
sion and  Indentures  has  been  visiting,  mingling  and  con- 
sulting with  the  boys  and  young  men  who  have  gone  out 
of  the  College  to  take  their  places  in  the  world  as  workers, 
voters  and  thinkers.  His  reports  are  uniformly  of  an  en- 
couraging character.  He  speaks  of  the  Girard  boy  as 
ambitious,  honest  and  diligent.  Ambitious  to  succeed  in 
their  vocation;  honest  in  their  dealings  and  intercourse 
with  their  fellows,  and  diligent  in  the  discharge  of  duty. 
He  reports  them  as  kind  and  affectionate  in  the  family. 


8O  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


faithful  and  devoted  in  their  religious  work,  and  ever  loyal 
in  their  attachment  to  our  republican  institutions. 

Of  the  older  Alumni  who  have  reached  the  years  of 
manhood,  we  may  be  justly  proud.  They  are  Girard's 
greatest,  because  his  living,  monument.  They  are  to  be 
met  with  in  all  the  walks  of  life,  and  invariably  among  our 
best  citizens. 

In  conclusion,  it  is  not  to  be  forgotten  that  Stephen 
Girard  did  more  than  establish  Girard  College, — he  estab- 
lished a  precedent.  As  the  first  of  our  large  givers,  he 
taught  men  that  wealth,  like  life  itself,  is  opportunity. 
His  example  has  had  many  distinguished  followers,  who 
have  learned  from  him  the  noble  lesson  that  the  greatest 
privilege  of  living  is  that  of  doing  good  to  our  fellow-men. 

Girard  College  as  compared  with  the  famous  schools  of 
the  old  world  is  yet  in  its  infancy.  What  its  work  and  in- 
fluence in  the  future  may  be  can  only  be  imagined.  Dur- 
ing the  centuries  and  ages  to  follow,  boys  will  continue 
to  come  to  these  halls  to  be  trained  for  duty  and  for  living, 
— to  be  men  and  to  be  citizens.  Those  who  are  now  di- 
recting and  teaching  will  gradually  drop  out  and  others 
will  step  in  and  take  their  places. 

May  each  half-century  be  a  half-century  of  progress, 
each  accomplish  better  and  nobler  things  than  that  which 
has  gone  before.  And  may  others 

"  Finish  what  we  begin 
And  all  that  we  fail  of,  win." 


OF  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


'•  a*        ... 

«n:i^S 


ADDRESS 

BY   HON.  THOMAS   B.  REED, 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 


Six  hundred  and  fifty  or  seventy  years  ago,  England, 
which,  during  the  following  period  of  nearly  seven  cen- 
turies, has  been  the  richest  nation  on  the  face  of  the  globe, 
began  to  establish  the  two  great  universities  which,  from 
the  banks  of  the  Cam  and  the  Isis,  have  sent  forth  great 
scholars  and  priests  and  statesmen  whose  fame  is  the  his- 
tory of  their  own  country,  and  whose  deeds  have  been  part 
of  the  history  of  every  land  and  sea.  During  all  that  long 
period,  reaching  back  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  before  it 
was  even  dreamed  that  this  great  hemisphere  existed,  be- 
fore the  world  knew  that  it  was  swinging  in  the  air  and 
rolling  about  the  sun,  kings  and  cardinals,  nobles  and 
great  churchmen,  the  learned  and  the  pious,  began  be- 
stowing upon  those  abodes  of  scholars  their  gifts  of  land 
and  money,  and  they  have  continued  their  benefactions 
down  to  our  time.  What  those  universities,  with  all  their 
colleges  and  halls  teeming  with  scholars  for  six  hundred 
years,  have  done  for  the  progress  of  civilization  and 
the  good  of  man  this  whole  evening  could  not  begin  to 
tell.  Even  your  imaginations  cannot,  at  this  moment, 
create  the  surprising  picture.  Nevertheless,  the  Insti- 
tution at  which  most  of  you  are,  or  have  been,  pupils  is 
at  the  beginning  of  a  career  with  which  those  great  uni- 

81 


82  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

versities  and  their  great  history  may  struggle  in  vain  for 
the  palm  of  the  greatest  usefulness  to  the  race  of  man. 
One  single  fact  will  make  it  evident  that  this  possibility 
is  not  the  creation  of  imagination  or  the  product  of  that 
boastfulness  which  America  will  some  clay  feel  herself  too 
great  to  cherish,  but  a  simple  and  plain  possibility  which 
has  the  sanction  of  mathematics  as  well  as  hope. 

Although  more  than  six  centuries  of  regal,  princely,  and 
pious  donations  have  been  poured  into  the  purses  of  these 
venerable  aids  to  learning,  the  munificence  of  one  Ameri- 
can citizen  to-day  affords  an  endowment  income  equal  to 
that  of  each  university,  and  when  the  full  century  has  com- 
pleted his  work  will  afford  an  income  superior  to  the 
income  of  both.  When  Time  has  done  his  perfect  work, 
Stephen  Girard,  mariner  and  merchant,  may  be  found  to 
have  come  nearer  immortality  than  the  long  procession 
of  kings  and  cardinals,  nobles  and  statesmen,  whose  power 
was  mighty  in  their  own  days,  but  who  are  only  on  their 
way  to  oblivion.  I  am  well  aware  that  this  College  of 
Orphans,  wherein  the  wisdom  of  the  Founder  requires 
facts  and  things  to  be  taught  rather  than  words  and  signs, 
can  as  yet  make  no  claim  to  that  higher  learning  so  essen- 
tial to  the  ultimate  progress  of  the  world;  but  it  has  its 
own  mission  as  great  and  as  high,  and  one  which  connects 
itself  more  nearly  with  the  practical  elevation  of  mankind. 

Whether  the  overruling  Providence,  of  which  we  talk 
so  much  and  know  so  little,  has  each  of  us  in  His  kindly 
care  and  keeping,  we  shall  better  know  when  our  minds 
have  the  broader  scope  which  immortality  will  make  pos- 
sible. But,  however  men  may  dispute  over  individual 
care,  His  care  over  the  race  as  a  whole  fills  all  the  pages 
of  human  history.  Unity  and  progress  are  the  watch- 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.  THOMAS    B.    REED.  83 

words  of  the  Divine  guidance,  and  no  matter  how  harsh 
has  been  the  treatment  by  one  man  of  thousands  of  men, 
every  great  event,  or  series  of  events,  has  been  for  the 
good  of  the  race.  Were  this  the  proper  time,  I  could  show 
that  wars — and  wars  ought  to  be  banished  forever  from 
the  face  of  the  earth;  that  pestilences — and  the  time  is 
coming  when  they  will  be  no  more;  that  persecutions  and 
inquisitions — and  liberty  of  thought  is  the  richest  pearl  of 
life, — that  all  these  things — wars,  pestilences  and  persecu- 
tions— were  but  helps  to  the  unity  of  mankind.  All  things, 
including  our  own  natures,  bind  us  together  for  deep  and 
unrelenting  purpose. 

Think  what  we  should  be,  who  are  unlearned  and 
brutish,  if  the  wise,  the  learned,  and  the  good  could  sepa- 
rate themselves  from  us;  were  free  from  our  superstitions 
and  vague  and  foolish  fears,  and  stood  loftily  by  them- 
selves, wrapped  in  their  own  superior  wisdom.  Therefore 
hath  it  been  wisely  ordained  that  no  set  of  creatures  of  our 
race  shall  be  beyond  the  reach  of  their  helping  hand;  so 
lofty  that  they  will  not  fear  our  reproaches,  or  so  mighty  as 
to  be  beyond  our  reach.  If  the  lofty  and  the  learned  do  not 
lift  us  up,  we  drag  them  down.  But  unity  is  not  the  only 
watchword;  there  must  be  progress  also.  Since,  by  a  law 
we  cannot  evade,  we  are  to  keep  together,  and  since  we 
are  to  progress,  we  must  do  it  together,  and  nobody  must 
be  left  behind.  This  is  not  a  matter  of  philosophy;  it  is 
a  matter  of  fact.  No  progress  which  did  not  lift  all,  ever 
lifted  any.  If  we  let  the  poison  of  filth  diseases  percolate 
through  the  hovels  of  the  poor,  death  knocks  at  the  palace 
gates.  If  we  leave  to  the  greater  horror  of  ignorance  any 
portion  of  our  race,  the  consequences  of  ignorance  strike 
us  all,  and  there  is  no  escape.  We  must  all  move,  but  we 


84  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

must  all  keep  together.  It  is  only  when  the  rear-guard 
comes  up  that  the  vanguard  can  go  on. 

Stephen  Girard  must  have  understood  this.  He  took 
under  his  charge  the  progress  of  those  who  needed  his 
aid,  knowing  that  if  they  were  added  to  the  list  of  good 
citizens,  to  the  catalogue  of  moral,  enterprising,  and  useful 
men,  there  was  so  much  added,  not  to  their  happiness  only, 
but  to  the  welfare  of  the  race  to  which  he  belonged.  For 
his  orphans  the  vanguard  need  not  wait.  Your  Founder 
also  understood  what  education  was.  Most  men  brought 
up  as  he  was  on  shipboard  and  on  shore,  with  few  books 
and  fewer  studies,  if  they  cared  for  learning  at  all,  would 
have  had  for  learning  an  uncouth  reverence,  such  as  the 
savage  has  for  his  idol,  a  reverence  for  the  fancied  magnifi- 
cence of  the  unknown.  This  would  have  led  him  to  es- 
tablish a  university  devoted  to  out-of-the-way  learning 
beyond  his  ken,  or  to  link  his  name  to  glories  to  which  he 
could  not  aspire.  But  the  man  who  named  his  vessels 
after  the  great  French  authors  of  his  age,  and  who  read 
their  works  himself,  knew  from  them,  and  from  his  own 
laborious  and  successful  life,  that  learning  was  not  all  of 
education,  and  so  gave  his  orphans  an  entrance  into  a 
practical  world  with  such  learning  as  left  the  whole  field 
of  learning  before  them,  if  they  wanted  it,  with  power  to 
make  fortunes  besides. 

It  is  strange  to  watch  the  growth  into  fame  and  respect 
and  reverence  of  Stephen  Girard  as  his  plan  of  conferring 
a  benefaction  upon  the  city  and  the  people  whom  he  has 
loved  has  slowly  unfolded  itself  before  their  gaze.  The 
generation  in  which  he  lives  can  seldom  understand  the 
really  great  man.  We  live  for  to-day,  and  he  lives  for  a 
day  after  to-day.  He  takes  on  the  century  in  which  he 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.  THOMAS    B.    REED.  85 

lives  and  a  hundred  years  after  he  has  passed  away.  The 
man  of  mediocrity  must  make  his  hay  under  the  shine  of 
the  present  sun,  and  so  must  clasp  every  hand  he  can 
touch  and  make  us  think  he  loves  us  all.  But  the  greatest 
merchant  of  his  time,  with  the  noblest  ambition  of  them 
all,  was  so  resolute  in  his  pursuit  of  wealth,  and  so  coldly 
determined  in  all  his  endeavors,  that  he  seems  to  have  un- 
covered to  few  or  to  none  the  generous  purpose  of  his 
heart.  What  he  said  to  the  man  who  was  so  unworthy  to 
write  his  first  biography,  but  who  was  forced  to  bless  when 
he  had  gone  forth  to  curse,  is  the  secret  of  his  career. 
"  My  actions  must  make  my  life,"  he  said,  and  of  his  life 
not  one  moment  was  wasted.  "Facts  and  things  rather 
than  words  and  signs"  were  the  warp  and  woof  of  his  ex- 
istence. No  wonder  he  left  the  injunction  that  this  should 
be  the  teaching  of  those  objects  of  his  bounty  into  whose 
faces  he  was  never  to  look. 

The  vast  wealth  which  Mr.  Girard  had  was  of  itself  alone 
evidence  of  greatness. 

I  have  not  forgotten  the  epitaph  on  Colonel  Charters, 
who  died  rich  and  infamous,  that  you  could  see  what  God 
thought  of  riches  by  the  people  He  gave  them  to.  For- 
tunes may  be  made  and  lost.  Fortunes  may  be  inherited. 
These  things  mean  nothing.  But  the  fortune  which  has 
given  us  all  our  surroundings  to-night  was  made  and 
firmly  held  in  a  hand  of  eighty  years.  That  meant  great- 
ness. But  when  the  dead  hand  opens  and  pours  the  rich 
bloom  of  a  preparation  for  life  over  six  thousand  boys  in 
the  half-century  which  has  gone  and  thousands  in  the  cen- 
turies to  come,  that  means  more  than  greatness.  Mr. 
Girard  gave  more  than  his  money.  He  put  into  his  enter- 

6 


86  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

prise  his  own  powerful  brain,  and,  like  the  ships  he  sent 
to  sea,  long  after  his  death  the  adventure  came  home 
laden,  not  with  the  results  of  his  capital  alone,  but  of  his 
forethought  and  his  genius.  He  builded  for  so  many  years 
that  the  stars  will  be  cold  before  his  work  is  finished.  We 
envious  people,  who  cannot  be  wealthy  any  more  than  we 
can  add  a  cubit  to  our  stature,  avenge  ourselves  by  think- 
ing and  proclaiming  that  pursuit  of  wealth  is  sordid  and 
stifles  the  nobler  sentiments  of  the  soul.  Whether  this  be 
so  or  not,  if  whoever  makes  to  grow  two  blades  of  grass 
where  but  one  grew  before  is  a  benefactor  of  his  race,  he 
also  is  a  benefactor  who  makes  two  ships  sail  the  sea 
where  but  one  encountered  its  storms  before.  However 
sordid  the  owner  may  be,  this  is  a  benefit  of  which  he 
cannot  deprive  the  world. 

That  men  who  have  achieved  great  riches  are  not  always 
shut  out  by  their  riches  from  the  nobler  emotions,  Stephen 
Girard  was  himself  a  most  illustrious  example.  A  hun- 
dred years  ago  this  city  was  under  the  black  horror  of  a 
plague.  So  terrible  was  the  fear  that  fell  upon  the  city, 
that  the  tenderest  of  domestic  ties — the  love  of  husband 
and  wife  and  of  parents  for  children — seemed  obliterated. 
Even  gold  lost  its  power  in  the  multitudinous  presence  of 
impending  death.  There  was  no  refuge  even  in  the  hos- 
pital, which,  reeking  with  disease,  was  a  hell  out  of  which 
there  was  no  redemption.  Neither  money  nor  affection 
could  buy  service.  "  Fear  was  on  every  soul." 

Mr.  Girard  was  then  in  the  prime  of  life,  forty-two  years 
old,  in  health  and  strength,  already  rich,  and  with  a  future 
as  secure  as  ever  falls  to  human  lot.  Of  his  own  accord,  as 
a  volunteer,  he  took  charge  of  the  interior  of  the  deadly 


ADDRESS    BY    HON.  THOMAS    B.    REED. 


hospital,  and  for  two  long  and  weary  months  stood  face 
to  face  with  death. 

A  poet  himself  has  sung  in  vain  of  what  makes  the  little 
songs  linger  in  our  hearts  for  ages,  while  epics  perish  and 
.tragedies  pass  out  of  sight.  Why  this  is  so  we  shall  never 
know  by  reason  alone.  Way  down  in  the  human  heart 
there  is  a  tenderness  for  self-sacrifice  which  makes  it  seem 
loftier  than  the  love  of  glory,  and  reveals  the  possibility 
of  the  eternal  soul. 

WTars  and  sieges  pass  away  and  great  intellectual  efforts 
cease  to  stir  our  hearts,  but  the  man  who  sacrifices  himself 
for  his  fellow  lives  forever. 

We  forget  the  war  in  which  was  the  siege  of  Zutphen, 
and  almost  the  city  itself,  but  we  shall  never  forget  the 
death  of  Sir  Philip  Sidney.  Scholars  alone  read  the  work 
of  his  life,  but  all  mankind  honors  him  in  the  story  of  his 
death.  The  great  war  of  the  Crimea,  in  our  own  day,  with 
its  generals  and  marshals,  and  its  bands  of  storming 
soldiery,  has  almost  passed  from  our  memories,  but  the 
time  will  never  come  when  the  charge  of  Balaklava  will 
cease  to  stir  the  heart  or  pass  from  story  or  from  song. 
It  happened  to  Stephen  Girard,  mariner  and  merchant, 
seeking  wealth  and  finding  it,  whose  ships  covered  every 
sea,  whose  intellect  penetrated,  as  your  treasurer's  books 
will  show,  a  hundred  years  into  the  future,  to  light  up  his 
life  by  a  deed  more  noble  than  the  dying  courtesy  of  Sid- 
ney and  braver  than  the  charge  of  the  six  hundred,  for  he 
walked  under  his  own  orders  day  by  day  and  week  by 
week,  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  death,  and  was  not  afraid. 
How  fit,  indeed,  it  is  that  amidst  these  temples  which  are 
the  tribute  to  his  intellect  should  stand  the  tablet  which  is 
the  tribute  to  his  heart! 


88  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

Surely,  if  the  immortal  dead,  serene  with  the  wisdcm 
of  eternity,  are  not  above  all  joy  and  pride,  he  must  feel 
a  thrill  to  know  that  no  mariner  or  merchant  ever  sent 
forth  a  venture  upon  unknown  seas  which  came  back 
with  richer  cargoes  or  in  statelier  ships. 


REMARKS   BY  THE  CHAIRMAN 


General  Wagner  prefaced  his  remarks  with  the  follow- 
ing: 

I  will  read  at  this  time  a  telegram  from  Governor 
Hastings: 

"I  deeply  regret  that  annual  meetings  of  banking  and  other  interests,  post- 
poned from  Saturday,  make  it  impossible  for  me  to  leave  here  to-day.  I  hope 
you  will  appreciate  my  disappointment  at  not  being  able  to  be  present  at  the 
Stephen  Girard  semi-centennial,  and  to  greet  the  alumni  and  management  of  the 
noblest  benefaction  in  this  country." 

We  anticipated  great  pleasure  in  having  the  Governor 
of  the  Commonwealth  with  us,  more  particularly  as  the 
first  graduate  of  the  Institution,  Mr.  George  W.  Jackson, 
was  a  partner  of  his  in  business  at  Bellefojite;  and  we  had 
expected  to  hear  from  the  Governor  of  his  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  results  of  the  education  and  training  at  Girard 
College. 

Governor  Hastings  is  not  here,  but  in  his  place  we  have 
captured  a  speaker  who  will,  I  am  certain,  when  the  proper 
point  in  the  programme  is  reached,  interest  and  instruct 
us.  Who  he  is  I  will  tell  you  after  a  while. 

President  Fetterolf  referred  to  the  fact  that  Mr.  Fred- 
erick Fraley,  our  oldest  and  most  distinguished  citizen  of 
Philadelphia,  one  of  the  first  Directors  of  the  College,  still 
lives.  We  invited  him  to  be  present  with  us,  and  he  writes 

89 


9O  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

that  physical  inability  prevents,  concluding  his  letter  as 
follows : 

"  Among  the  most  precious  of  my  memories  are  the  years  of  my  official  con- 
nection with  the  Girard  College.  And  now,  as  the  only  survivor  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  1847  and  I^4^,  I  am  thankful  that  I  have  been  permitted  to  live 
until  its  fiftieth  anniversary. 

' '  Faithfully  yours, 

"FREDERICK  FRALEY." 

General  Wagner  then  introduced  the  next  speaker  in 
the  following  remarks: 

Now,  I  want  to  tell  you  a  very  tTrief  story.  When  the 
committee  having  charge  of  these  exercises  cast  about  for 
speakers,  they  said,  "  We  want  Reed."  And  we  have  him. 
They  then  looked  for  the  proper  man  to  make  us  the 
second  address.  We  said  we  wanted  a  college  president; 
and  we  wanted  the  president  from  the  college  at  Easton. 
But  somebody  said,  "He's  a  preacher,  and  he  can't  get 
in."  That  seemed  to  settle  the  case,  of  course;  and  we 
looked  about,  and  finally  concluded  that  the  man  in  that 
capacity  couldn't  be  had.  We  felt  compelled  to  make 
other  arrangements,  and  thought  President  Fetterolf  had 
committed  a  frightful  blunder  when  he  sent  a  general  in- 
vitation to  the  president  of  the  college  at  Easton,  who 
promptly  accepted  it. 

Then  we  carefully  examined  the  records,  as  we  should 
have  done  at  first,  and  found  that  the  gentleman  did  not 
preach  at  all, — he  practised  (which  is  the  more  difficult); 
that  his  brother  preached,  but  he  did  not;  and  of  course 
we  said  to  him,  "  We  shall  be  glad  to  see  you."  And  he 
is  here.  Then,  when  the  telegram  came  that  Governor 
Hastings  could  not  be  here,  we  laid  violent  hands  upon 
this  man  who  is  not  a  "preacher,  and  said,  "  Now,  the 


REMARKS    BY   THE    CHAIRMAN.  9! 

speech  that  you  would  have  had  a  month  to  prepare,  we 
will  give  you,  in  addition  to  your  dinner,  fifteen  minutes 
to  get  ready."  Being  a  Presbyterian  ruling  elder,  and 
not  a  preaching  elder,  he  of  course  bowed  to  fate,  took 
it  for  granted  that  it  was  foreordained,  and  said,  "I 
submit." 

More  appropriate  still.  We  are  to-night  celebrating  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  Girard  College,  an  institution  estab- 
lished by  a  native  of  France,  but,  as  Speaker  Reed  has 
said,  an  American  citizen  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to 
the  soles  of  his  feet.  And  the  gentleman  who  will  now 
talk  to  us  is  the  president  of  a  college  named  after  another 
native  of  France, — one  who  helped  to  establish  the  inde- 
pendence of  the  Colonies,  and  made  possible  these  United 
States  of  America. 

When  I  said  that  Governor  Hastings  would  not  be  here, 
but  that  we  had  another  speaker  in  reserve,  somebody 
said,  "Well,  that's  Brosius;"  somebody  else  said,  "That's 
MacVeagh;"  others,  "  Loudon  Snowden;"  and  I  said 
quietly  to  myself,  "  You  are  all  wrong;  any  one  of  these, 
or  of  a  dozen  others  on  the  platform,  could  make  a  good 
speech  at  any  time,  yet  none  of  these  is  the  man  we  have 
captured." 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  presenting  to  you  E.  D.  War- 
field,  LL.D.,  the  President  of  Lafayette  College. 


ADDRESS 

BY   ETHELBERT  D.  WARFIELD,  LL.D., 

President  of  Lafayette  College. 


MR.  CHAIRMAN,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: — It  is  very 
evident  that  we  have  another  Presbyterian  ruling  elder 
here,  and  that  he  has  been  practising  on  this  audience.  I 
thought  he  would  have  a  good  deal  of  "  nerve"  who  would 
dare  to  stand  up  before  so  large  an  assemblage  of  citizens 
of  Pennsylvania  and  undertake  to  say  which  one  of  all  that 
noble  army  of  martyrs,  too  numerous  to  be  named,  who 
are  reluctantly  expecting  to  be  called  upon  to  take  the 
place  of  Governor  Hastings,  is  indeed  the  man. 

I  am  only  surprised  that  you  have  so  readily  acquiesced 
in  his  nomination.  As  a  Presbyterian,  I  not  only  believe 
in  foreordination,  but  also  in  "  election."  Hence  I,  too, 
must  acquiesce  in  General  Wagner's  selection. 

I  can  assure  you,  however,  that  I  am  not  a  preacher. 
I  recall  with  approval  the  reply  of  an  old  darky  down  in 
Kentucky,  who,  when  asked  if  he  were  not  a  preacher, 
replied,  "Oh,  no,  young  massa,  I  ain't  no  preacher;  I  is 
a  'zorter.  You  know  a  preacher  is  bound  to  stick  to  his 
text,  but  a  'zorter,  he  can  branch."  It  is  a  very  great 
privilege  on  such  an  occasion  to  be  able  to  "  branch,"  espe- 
cially when  you  haven't  a  text.  I  looked  on  the  pro- 
gramme, and  I  couldn't  see  what  Governor  Hastings,  or 
I,  or  anybody  else,  was^-expected  to  talk  about.  So  I 
92 


•ft 


ADDRESS    BY    ETHELBERT    D.  WARFIELD,  LL.D.'  93 

thought  that,  in  commemorating  the  great  work  of  this 
College,  its  high  moral  attitude,  or  something  of  that  sort, 
was  surely  in  keeping  with  the  occasion.  Then  I  thought 
of  the  distinguished  Frenchman  who  died  a  few  days  ago, 
and  concerning  whom  we  have  been  hearing  so  much  in 
the  newspapers, — Mr.  Alphonse  Daudet, — and  I  remem- 
bered a  little  incident  connected  with  him  when  he  came 
in  contact  with  our  American  ideas  of  morality.  You  will 
recollect,  perhaps,  that  when  he  was  writing  his  novel, 
"  Sapho,"  in  which  he  undertook  to  teach  his  sons,  and 
the  French  nation  generally,  sound  morals,  Messrs.  Funk 
&  Wagnalls,  the  eminent  publishers  of  The  Voice  (a  paper 
well  known  in  connection  with  its  interest  in  the  morals 
of  another  college,  which  will  not  now  be  mentioned), 
heard  that  Mr.  Daudet  was  about  to  publish  a  novel  to 
teach  morality,  and  contracted  with  him  for  the  American 
rights  of  "  Sapho."  "  Sapho"  when  finished  was  sent  to 
them.  Then  Messrs.  Funk  &  Wagnalls  drank  in  draughts 
of  morality,  such  as  they  are  so  constantly  receiving  from 
their  special  agents,  and  for  once  they  must  have  reeled. 
We  can  scarcely  suppose  that  they  were  intoxicated,  but 
it  was  something  a  little  stronger  than  they  had  been  ac- 
customed to  imbibe  as  pure  morality.  So  they  cabled  to 
Mr.  Daudet,  " '  Sapho'  will  not  do."  Mr.  Daudet  was  com- 
pletely overcome  at  the  idea  that  anything  he  wrote  could 
be  rejected.  Therefore  he  hastened  to  an  English  friend, 
and  asked  him  what  on  earth  this  meant.  The  friend 
looked  at  the  cablegram,  and  said,  "  Why,  it's  perfectly 
plain.  You  French  spell  '  Sapho'  with  one  '  p/  while  the 
English  spell  it  'Sappho,'  with  two."  The  result  was 
that  Mr.  Daudet  cabled  back  to  Messrs.  Funk  &  Wagnalls, 
care  of  The  Voice,  New  York,  "Spell  it  with  two  p's." 


94  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

The  effect  on  Messrs.  Funk  &  Wagnalls  has  happily  not 
been  recorded.  Such  apparently  is  the  danger  of  reflec- 
tions upon  moral  questions  which  involve  more  than  one 
nationality. 

In  venturing  to  speak  at  such  a  time  to  such  an  audience 
as  this,  I  am  reminded  of  the  old  saying,  "  Who  shall  speak 
after  the  king?"  We  have  all  been  transported  by  the 
eloquent  words  we  have  listened  to,  and  I  am  sure  we  have 
all  been  made  to  feel  that  he  is  indeed  daft  who  dares  not 
only  to  speak  after  the  king,  but  after  the  "  czar."  He  is 
not,  it  is  true,  one  of  the  boys  of  this  College,  but  what 
we  have  heard  from  him  further  proves  what  we  have  long 
known.  He  knows  his  "  three  R's"  :  he  is  always  ready, 
resolute,  and  right.  And  I,  as  a  Presbyterian  elder,  am 
prepared  to  give  him  my  benediction  on  what  he  has  said 
this  evening. 

What  a  splendid  inspiration  it  is  for  us  to  speak  one 
with  another  of  this  College,  and  what  it  has  done  and 
what  it  represents!  It  awakens  in  us  a  sharper  realization 
of  the  fact,  that  from  far  beyond  the  seas  men  reared  under 
such  different  intellectual  conditions,  under  such  different 
moral  aspirations,  and  under  such  different  religious  teach- 
ings, have  come  to  this  country  and  lighted  here  lamps  for 
the  illumination  of  this  new  world.  How  often  have  I 
rejoiced,  in  the  days  that  I  have  been  permitted  to  pre- 
side over  our  lovely  college,  amid  the  hills  that  overlook 
the  upper  Delaware,  to  think  of  the  young  man  who,  fired 
with  the  love  of  liberty,  left  home,  family,  country,— every- 
thing that  was  dear  to  him,— and  came  to  this  people  who 
were  as  yet  not  a  nation,  and  who  had  but  a  little  land  upon 
the  border  of  an  unexplored  forest  and  set  upon  the 
margin  of  a  mighty  sea!  With  prophetic  instinct  he 


ADDRESS    BY    ETHELBERT    D.  WARFIELD,  LL.D.  95 

looked  beyond  the  years  that  were  and  beheld,  as  we  have 
been  told  that  Stephen  Girard  saw,  the  years  that  were 
about  to  be.  How  great  was  the  heritage  which  he  per- 
ceived that  not  only  this  people,  but  the  universal  hosts 
of  liberty  were  about  to  enter  into  in  America!  Think  of 
him  and  of  his  devotion  to  this  country;  of  how  he  went 
back  and  tried  to  reason  with  "  that  rabble  devil-born,"  as 
they  raved  in  the  streets  of  Paris,  mistaking  the  outcry  of 
mad  social  discontent  for  the  glorious  voice  of  liberty; 
think  how  he  suffered,  how  he  was  imprisoned,  how  he 
endured  everything,  and  never  once  permitted  himself  to 
desecrate  the  principles  of  freedom  as  he  had  been  taught 
them  in  this  country  by  Washington  and  his  glorious  com- 
rades! What  a  wonderful  thing  it  is  to  think  that  we,  in 
this  day,  have  built  a  college  in  the  midst  of  a  Pennsyl- 
vania-German population,  under  the  control  of  a  Scotch- 
Irish  clientele,  and  dedicated  to  the  name  of  a  Frenchman! 
It  seems  incongruous,  no  doubt.  But,  after  all,  it  is  True 
that  here  under  the  great  pavilion  that  has  been  spread 
in  the  name  of  Liberty,  practising  that  pure  morality  which 
was  so  dear  to  Stephen  Girard,, we  are  gathering  together 
the  children  of  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  and  men  like 
Stephen  Girard  are  providing  for  them  an  education,  and 
a  training  in  right  principles,  that  they  may  all  grow  up  to 
be  free  men  and  true  Americans.  It  is  sweet  to  tell  the 
tale  of  liberty,  and  to  count  its  heroes  from  the  first  who 
came  to  these  shores.  Many  of  them  have  received  but 
little  recognition  for  what  they  were  and  what  they 
wrought.  It  was  with  peculiar  delight  that  I  read,  in  the 
last  few  days,  the  splendid  defence  which  Professor  John 
Fiske,  from  his  study  in  Boston,  has  made  of  doughty  Cap- 
tain John  Smith,  one  of  the  beginners  of  the  story  of  free- 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


dom  in  America.  I  love  to  recount  that  story,  taking 
within  the  compass  of  my  thoughts  not  only  the  Cavalier 
of  Virginia  and  the  Puritan  of  Massachusetts,  but  also  the 
Huguenot  of  Long  Island  and  the  Hollander  of  Man- 
hattan, the  Friend  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  German  of 
Germantown  (not  even  forgetting  Bucks  County),  the 
Scotch-Irish  of  the  Cumberland  Valley  and  the  Scotch  of 
North  Carolina.  Every  one  of  these  nationalities,  what- 
ever they  may  have  been,  are  all  parts  of  the  great  Ameri- 
can people.  God  bless  them  all!  Each  has  contributed 
men  of  mark,  whether  they  were  of  that  class  that  came 
already  blessed  with  something  good  and  gracious,  or  of 
that  to  which  Abraham  Lincoln  belonged,  who  came  out 
of  the  silent  squalor  of  the  mountains  of  Kentucky,  and 
wandered  through  the  swamp-lands  of  the  Indiana  and 
Illinois  of  early  days,  and  thence  down  the  Mississippi  on 
its  flat-boats,  learning  with  painful  industry  the  way  of 
knowledge,  that  he  might  tread  the  path  of  righteousness. 
When  we  think  of  what  such  men  have  accomplished  for 
themselves;  when  we  think  of  the  pain,  the  agony,  the 
self-denial  of  the  struggle  which  they  had  to  undergo; 
when  we  think  of  how  Lincoln  and  his  fellows  rose  and 
stood  face  to  face  with  intrenched  falsehood,  and  mastered 
it  in  its  intrenchments,  is  it  any  wonder  that  we  rejoice 
that  colleges  like  this  have  been  founded  by  the  munifi- 
cence of  men  like  Stephen  Girard,  that  they  may  point  not 
only  hundreds  but  thousands,  every  year,  along  the  way 
that  is  most  certain  and  sure  to  useful  citizenship  in  this 
great  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania?  Oh,  that  such  an 
institution  might  be  imitated  in  the  other  States!  Oh, 
that  Pennsylvania  might  make  more  of  Girard  College! 


ADDRESS    BY   ETHELBERT    D.  WARFIELD,  LL.D.  97 

The  work  that  is  being  done  here  is  too  little  known  and 
recognized. 

I  remember  very  well  that,  when  a  little  boy,  I  found  in 
a  scrap-book  a  picture  of  Stephen  Girard  and  of  this  beau- 
tiful first  building.  The  building  so  impressed  itself  on 
my  mind  that  I  have  never  forgotten  it.  It  has  always 
stood  out  before  me  as  the  very  ideal  of  a  college;  and  in 
my  happy  college  days,  when  I  was  a  student  in  one  of 
the  universities  on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean,  to  which 
reference  has  been  made  this  evening,  not  even  Oxford, 
with  its  lovely  monuments  of  Gothic  architecture,  ever 
seemed  more  beautiful  than  this  first  building  here.  How 
little  we  appreciate  the  importance  of  such  a  building  as 
a  centre  of  association  in  the  mind  of  youth  and  as  a 
formative  ideal!  When  at  home  I  look  out  from  our  fair 
hill  upon  the  mountains  around  about,  upon  the  river  flow- 
ing seaward,  upon  the  clouds  sailing  through  the  blue 
heavens,  which  bend  above  the  purple  hills,  and  I  think 
that  surely  such  associations  must  uplift  our  boys,  even  as 
the  scenes  in  the  hill  country  of  Judaea  uplifted  the  heart 
of  David,  to  a  serene  walk  with  God.  How  wonderful 
such  associations  are!  What  an  undying  influence  the 
mere  communion  with  yonder  building  must  create! 

Again,  how  wise  was  Mr.  Girard's  provision  for  instruc- 
tion in  the  principles  of  a  pure  patriotism!  I  can  remem- 
ber, as  I  can  remember  nothing  else  from  those  days,  when 
it  was  a  question  whether  Kentucky  was  a  State  of  the 
Union  or  not,  when  John  Morgan  and  his  rough  riders 
again  and  again  rode  through  the  streets  of  our  little  city, 
how  my  mother,  with  most  strenuous  intensity  of  feeling, 
taught  me  to  love  our  flag.  There  were  few,  in  the  Re- 
construction days  that  followed,  who  really  clung  with 


98  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

unfaltering  affection  to  that  dear  old  flag.  I  was  only  a 
child  at  the  time,  but  under  such  teaching  my  affection  for 
the  Stars  and  Stripes  grew  deep  and  strong.  With  what 
a  thrill  of  joy,  in  later  years,  have  I  seen  unexpectedly  in 
the  ports  of  Europe  that  emblem  of  liberty!  Surely  our 
hearts  should  feel  a  thrill  of  gladness  for  what  America  is; 
for  what  men  like  Stephen  Girard  have  done  their  part  to 
make  it;  for  that  yet  nobler,  higher,  dearer  thing  which  it 
is  the  privilege  and  the  possibility  of  this  generation  to 
make  it  in  the  interest  of  peace  and  prosperity,  of  the  wel- 
fare of  men  and  the  service  of  God. 

Up  yonder  on  that  hill  at  home,  where  there  was  once 
a  monument  to  one  of  the  benefactors  of  Pennsylvania, 
there  is  now  a  blackened  ruin.  How  my  heart  sinks  every 
time  I  go  by  it,  and  I  think  again  of  that  day,  just  two 
weeks  ago,  when  that  beautiful  building  went  up  in  flames! 
But  I  never  pass  it  by  that  I  do  not  say  to  myself,  "  Look 
forward  and  not  back,  look  up  and  not  down."  And 
surely  that  is  the  motto  for  America.  We  can  make  of 
these '  j  institutions,  as  has  been  made  of  this  College,  a 
wonderful  power  for  good.  It  is  a  thing  for  us  all  to  be 
proud  of  that  the  management  of  this  Institution  has  fallen 
into  such  good  hands,  and  that  the  direction  of  the  youth 
within  its  walls  is  in  such  excellent  keeping.  I  am  sure 
we  all  rejoice  with  President  Fetterolf  and  the  representa- 
tives of  the  City  Trusts  of  Philadelphia  in  the  work  that 
we  see,  and  that  we  know  is  going  farther  forward  unto 
perfection. 


OP  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


ADDRESS 

BY   THEODORE   L.  DEBOW,  '57. 


MR.  PRESIDENT,  LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN: — 1  am 
deeply  sensible  of  the  honor  conferred  upon  me  in  repre- 
senting on  this  interesting  occasion  the  first  one  hundred 
boys  who  entered  this  Institution  fifty  years  ago.  Time 
has  made  sad  inroads  in  our  members,  there  being  but  a 
fraction  of  the  original  hundred  left,  and  of  the  officers  and 
teachers  not  one  remains  who  gathered  with  us  at  the  in- 
augural services  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1848.  Time 
has  also  made  great  changes  in  the  Institution  itself;  not, 
however,  bringing  to  it  decrepitude  and  decay  with  its 
fifty  years  of  existence,  but,  like  the  sturdy  oak  of  the 
forest,  it  has  gathered  increasing  strength  from  year  to 
year,  striking  its  roots  deeper  into  its  native  soil,  spreading 
its  branches  far  out  into  the  atmosphere  about  it;  and 
raising  its  head  high  into  the  vaulted  blue  above,  until 
it  seems  to  have  completely  filled  the  whole  territory  in 
which  it  was  originally  planted,  the  extent  of  which,  per- 
haps, Mr.  Girard,  in  his  utmost  expectations,  had  sup- 
posed it  would  take  many  years  to  grow.  The  first  hun- 
dred had  a  great  inheritance  of  air  and  sky,  of  fields  and 
woods  that  seemed  almost  boundless. 

No  pent-up  Utica  constrained  our  powers, 
For  the  whole  boundless  universe  was  ours. 

99 


IOO  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

Now  we  see  a  multiplicity  of  stately  buildings,  beautiful 
in  their  architecture,  teeming  with  activity  and  usefulness, 
spreading  over  the  whole  landscape.  The  fields  and  the 
woods,  that  to  our  childish  hearts  were  so  dear,  have  given 
place  to  the  honest  and  lusty  growth  of  development  dur- 
ing the  first  half-century  of  our  history,  so  that  we  cry  out 
in  our  'amazement,  "  Whereunto  will  this  thing  grow?" 

When  the  first  hundred  took  possession  of  this  vast  es- 
tate, we  knew  that  others  after  a  while  would  come  to 
share  it  with  us,  and  so  we  welcomed  the  second  hundred 
and  made  room  for  them,  sharing  our  bounties  with  them, 
even  though  we  thought  we  had  a  little  less  of  the  air  and 
the  fields  and  the  woods  than  we  had  before,  but  when  the 
third  hundred  were  introduced,  we  felt  positively  crowded 
and  the  College  seemed  no  longer  what  it  was.  One 
thing,  however,  we  were  willing  that  they  all  should  share 
even  down  to  the  last  generation  of  the  new-comers,  viz., 
the  lessons,  the  discipline  and  the  rod. 

None  can  know  without  its  experience  the  loneliness  of 
a  boy  bereft  of  his  father;  none  but  the  Infinite  eye  wit- 
nessed the  tears  shed  on  many  a  narrow  bed  as  the  boy, 
separated  from  all  he  loved,  entered  upon  his  life  in  Girard 
College.  But  Stephen  Girard  knew  what  it  was  to  be 
lonely,  to  be  friendless,  and  it  may  be  in  the  quiet  hours  of 
the  night  shed  honest  tears  in  the  memory  of  his  boyhood, 
and  being  childless,  he  yearned  to  gather  to  his  empty 
heart  and  fireside  the  fatherless  boys  of  his  adopted  city. 
And  so  he  kept  trading,  and  saving,  and  planning  with 
this  growing,  burning  hope  in  his  heart,  until  it  became 
all-absorbing,  producing  the  magnificent  results  of  which 
we  have  only  seen  the  first  fruits. 

A  boy's  life  in  Girard  College  is  about  the  same  now  as 


ADDRESS    BY    THEODORE    L.    DEBOW,  '57.  IOI 

it  was  fifty  years  ago,  and  there  is  not  much  that  can  be 
said,  except,  perhaps,  that  the  boys  inside  have,  on  the 
whole,  a  very  much  better  time  than  the  boys  on  the  out- 
side, and  the  first  hundred  thought  they  had  the  better  of 
all  that  came  after.  As  I  look  back  over  the  years,  I  am 
impressed  with  this  fact,  that  the  boy  that  has  devoted  a 
fair  share  of  time  and  attention  to  his  opportunities  here, 
is  sent  forth  into  the  world  with  a  mental  and  moral  equip- 
ment that  challenges  comparison,  other  things  being- 
equal,  with  any  institution  in  the  land.  I  am  well  satisfied 
from  observation  that  the  studious  Girard  College  boy 
has  a  better  outlook  for  earning  his  living  and  battling  for 
a  successful  career  than  a  very  large  percentage  of  rich 
men's  sons.  The  advantage  I  claim  is,  that  the  education 
here  makes  us  practical  men,  and  throughout  this  great 
city  and  State  several  thousand  men,  former  boys  of  this 
College,  have  achieved  success  in  the  various  avocations 
of  life.  Without  money  capital  they  have  risen  step  by 
step,  filling  places  of  honor  and  usefulness  in  their  dif- 
ferent communities. 

I  will  not  enumerate  the  professions,  or  lines  of  busi- 
ness, which  many  of  our  brothers  are  filling  with  great 
success,  nor  mention  the  names  of  those  whose  success  is 
our  pride,  but,  for  the  information  of  our  distinguished 
guest,  I  will  say  that  two  of  them  had  the  honor  to  be 
members  of  Congress  but  a  few  years  ago, — one  from  the 
Chester  district  of  this  State,  and  one  from  the  Petersburg 
district  of  Virginia,  and  both  of  them  were  Republicans. 

The  mental  training  of  the  boys  has  been,  and  is  now 
certainly,  of  the  very  best,  and  the  teachers  and  professors, 
they  were  of  the  very  best,  too.  Many  of  the  latter  have 
gone  to  their  reward,  but  their  memory  is  precious  to  us 

7 


IO2  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

that  remain.  Concerning  the  moral  training,  it  used  to  be 
said  that  Girard  College  was  atheistic,  or  that  Mr.  Girard 
was  an  infidel,  so  that  many  a  poor  mother  has  been  afraid 
to  bring  her  sons  here,  because  she  was  told  that  the  fear 
of  God  was  not  taught.  I  think  these  lies  have  been  buried 
so  long  that  they  can  never  be  resurrected.  Can  we  ever 
forget  the  many  instructive  lessons  from  the  desk  on  Sun- 
days, and  the  sweet  hymns  taught  by  Kingsley,  Bird, 
Fisher  and  others;  of  the  morning  and  evening  prayers, 
and  the  Scriptures  with  the  unpronounceable  names,  and 
the  stories  of  the  battles  of  Israel  with  the  Moabites,  the 
Jebusites,  Hittites,  etc.,  etc.?  Who  will  ever  forget  the 
many  delightful  and  profitable  Sunday  afternoons  with 
Judge  Kelley  in  his  prime,  or  Rene  Guillou,  Joseph  R. 
Chandler,  William  Welsh,  President  Allen,  and  others? 
Ladies  and  gentlemen,  I  am  ready  to  acknowledge  that 
under  the  instructions  of  the  Sabbath-day,  many  a  time  I 
felt  that  I  was  mean  and  wicked,  and  many  a  time  I 
promised  God  on  my  knees  that  I  would  be  a  better  boy. 

The  love  of  country  was  instilled  in  our  young  minds  by 
American  history  and  the  example  of  our  noble  bene- 
factor. No  wonder,  then,  that,  when  the  Civil  War  broke 
out,  hundreds  of  our  boys  sprang  to  arms  at  the  call  of  the 
government;  many  laid  down  their  lives,  and  sleep  to-night 
with  the  honored  dead.  Yonder  monument  erected  to 
their  memory  is  a  living  testimonial  of  the  patriotic  in- 
structions received  here  as  boys,  bearing  fruit  in  our  lives 
as  men.  Some  of  the  first  hundred's  names  are  inscribed 
on  the  tablets  there. 

Oh,  these  crowding  memories  of  our  boyhood  days,  how 
delightful  they  are!  Standing  upon  the  threshold  of  a 
new  half-century,  and  in*  this  presence,  I  fancy  I  see  a  face 


ADDRESS    BY    THEODORE    L.    DEBOW,  '57.  IO3 

and  form  of  one  who  has  long  since  gone  to  rest.  In  form 
he  was  massive,  with  broad  intellectual  brow  and  kindly 
blue  eyes.  He  was  kind  yet  firm,  deeply  learned  yet  sim- 
ple. He  gave  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  development 
of  our  youth,  and  he '  now  sleeps  the  sleep  of  the  Just. 
Such  was  President  Allen.  We  esteem  him  a  great  man, 
and  no  wonder,  for  he  came  originally  from  the  State 
where  great  men  are  raised,  the  State  of  Maine. 

Another  form  appears  to  my  view,  one  who  stood  with 
us  here  fifty  years  ago.  In  the  vigor  of  a  strong  intellect 
and  a  mature  womanhood  she  began  the  duties  of  a 
teacher.  So  well  were  these  duties  discharged  that  she 
was  asked  to  assume  more  important  ones.  Stern  in  ap- 
pearance and  word,  but  conscientious  in  matters  of  duty, 
compelling  obedience  from  all,  superintending  our  com- 
forts by  day,  and  watching  by  the  beds  of  the  sick  at  night, 
childless  yet  the  mother  of  hundreds.  And  when  the  boys 
went  from  here  to  make  a  start  in  the  world  she  packed 
each  trunk  with  her  own  hands,  into  each  of  which  she  put 
a  copy  of  the  Scriptures  and  a  prayer.  She  spent  her  life 
willingly  in  this  work,  and  fell  asleep  in  full  view  of  the 
scenes  of  her  labor.  Such  was  the  Matron  Jane  Mitchell. 

One  other  form  appears  on  this  scene.  She,  too,  was 
here  fifty  years  ago.  A  teacher  of  the  younger  boys.  Fair 
of  face  and  form,  faithful  and  devoted.  Her  countenance 
reflected  the  purity  of  her  soul.  She  lived  her  whole  life, 
from  that  time  until  her  translation  a  few  months  ago,  in 
the  ministry  of  love  and  a  conscientious,  faithful  discharge 
of  duty.  I  refer  to  Mary  Lynch. 

I  stood  this  evening  in  the  presence  of  two  aged  men 
whose  labors  here  have  been  almost  coextensive  with  the 
history  of  the  College;  their  instruction  touching  almost, 


104  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

if  not  all,  the  boys  from  the  beginning  until  the  present; 
but  now  their  labors  are  nearly  ended;  the  time  of  their 
departure  is  at  hand;  they  have  fought  a  good  fight;  they 
have  finished  their  course;  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for 
them  a  crown.  We  stand  before  them  with  heads  un- 
covered as  we  look  upon  their  venerable  forms.  God  bless 
these  veteran  professors,  George  J.  Becker  and  Warren 
Holden. 

I  do  not  name  these  in  invidious  distinction,  for  others 
also  could  be  named  whose  memories  are  like  "  ointment 
poured  forth."  These  have  their  succesors,  equally 
worthy,  but  we  leave  for  them  a  tribute  from  others  fifty 
years  hence. 

I  may  be  pardoned  if  I  speak  a  word  concerning  the 
management  by  the  Directors  of  the  Board  of  City  Trusts. 
Many  of  the  honorable  men  who  have  held  these  positions 
are  gone  to  their  reward,  who  share  the  happiness  of  this 
occasion  in  spirit  perhaps,  among  whom  we  remember 
Joseph  R.  Chandler,  William  Cowperthwait,  William  Bid- 
die,  Mordecai  L.  Dawson,  Judge  Campbell,  William  B. 
Mann,  and  others  whose  names  I  do  not  now  recall. 
These  men,  their  colleagues  and  successors  are  to  be  held 
in  everlasting  remembrance  for  fidelity  to  their  trust,  for 
the  faithful  execution  of  the  plans,  purposes  and  will  of 
Mr.  Girard.  How  well  these  interests  have  been  preserved 
is  evidenced  by  our  surroundings,  and  while  others  have 
spoken  eloquently  from  without,  we  from  within  would 
utter  a  hearty  indorsement  of  it  all. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Board  of  City  Trusts,  we  extend  to 
you  our  heartfelt  thanks  for  your  unselfish  and  untiring 
devotion  to  these  great  interests,  and  we  hope  in  the  fu- 
ture, as  in  the  past,  the  'Board  will  always  be  constituted 


ADDRESS    BY    THEODORE    L.    DEBOW,  '57.  IO5 

of  the  very  best  men  our  city  affords.  Men  of  clean  hands 
and  pure  hearts.  May  you  each  at  the  end  receive  the 
plaudit  of  the  King,  "  Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful 
servant." 

Brothers,  when  the  Centennial  Anniversary  of  this  In- 
stitution is  observed  most  of  us  shall  have  joined  the  great 
majority,  until  that  time  let  us  be  true  to  the  memory  of 
Stephen  Girard,  true  to  ourselves,  and  true  to  God. 


APPENDIX 


OF  THB 

UNIVERSITY 


STEPHEN    GIRARD  STATUE,  CITY    HALL    PLAZA. 


STEPHEN  GI HARD— MARINER  AND  MERCHANT 
A    BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH 

BY   GEORGE  P.  RUPP; 
Librarian  of  Girard  College. 


Stephen  Girard  was  born  on  the  2Oth  of  May,  1750,  in 
the  Rue  Ramonet  aux  Chartrons,  a  suburb  of  the  city  of 
Bordeaux,  France.  He  was  the  eldest  son  and  the  second 
child  of  Captain  Pierre  Girard.  When  eight  years  old  he 
met  with  an  accident  by  which  the  sight  of  his  right  eye 
was  destroyed.  This  personal  defect  and  the  ridicule  it- 
occasioned  no  doubt  had  its  effect  upon  his  character.  The 
men  of  the  Girard  family  generally  followed  the  sea  for  a 
living,  and,  without  doubt,  Stephen  Girard  inherited  a 
like  inclination. 

When  not  quite  fourteen  years  old,  he,  with  his  father's 
consent,  sailed  in  a  vessel,  the  "  Pelerin,"  for  San  Do- 
mingo. From  1764  to  1773  he  traded  between  Bordeaux 
and  the  West  Indies,  attaining  the  rank  of  lieutenant  of  the 
vessel.  Mr.  Girard  had  now  become  a  skilful  navigator, 
and  he  had  made  up  for  some  of  the  defects  of  his  early 
education  by  study  and  observation.  In  October,  1773, 
he  was  granted  a  license  to  act  as  captain  of  a  vessel.  In 
the  ship  "  La  Julie"  he  left  Bordeaux  for  San  Domingo, 
reaching  there  in  February,  1774.  Having  disposed  of  the 

cargo,  he  sailed  for  New  York,  and  landed  there  in  July, 

109 


IIO  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

1774,  this  being  his  first  visit  to  the  United  States.  The 
ability  he  displayed  in  the  business  of  disposing  of  the 
cargo  he  brought  in  the  "  La  Julie,"  attracted  the  notice  of 
Mr.  Thomas  Randall,  a  merchant  of  New  York,  and  his 
assistance  enabled  Mr.  Girard  to  trade  successfully  be- 
tween New  York,  New  Orleans,  and  Port  au  Prince. 

While  acting  jointly  with  Mr.  Randall,  as  part  owner  of 
the  vessel  called  "  L'aimable  Louise,"  Mr.  Girard  was  re- 
turning from  the  West  Indies,  when  he  was  forced,  by  the 
presence  of  a  British  fleet,  to  enter  Delaware  Bay,  and  he 
arrived  for  the  first  time  in  Philadelphia  in  May,  1776.  On 
account  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  port  of  Phila- 
delphia was  blockaded  by  the  British,  and,  knowing  the 
danger  to  American  ships,  he  sold  his  interest  in  "  L'aim- 
able Louise"  and  opened  a  store  on  Water  Street.  From 
this  time  Mr.  Girard  could  no  longer  be  considered  a 
mariner,  though  he  continued  in  the  shipping  business. 

In  the  north-eastern  section  of  Philadelphia  there  was 
a  ship-builder  named  Lum,  whom  Mr.  Girard  consulted 
about  the  building  of  a  new  vessel.  While  on  this  business 
he  met  Mary  Lum,  or  "  Polly"  as  she  was  familiarly  called, 
a  girl  about  sixteen  years  old,  distinguished  for  her  per- 
sonal beauty  and  her  noble  virtues.  After  a  brief  court- 
ship they  were  married  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stringer,  in  St. 
Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  on  the  6th  of  June,  1777.  On 
the  approach  of  the  British  army  to  take  possession  of 
Philadelphia,  Mr.  Girard,  with  his  wife,  left  for  Mount 
Holly,  having  purchased  a  small  farm  there  from  a  Mr. 
Hazlehurst,  who  had  at  one  time  been  his  partner. 

In  October,  1778,  two  years  after  his  arrival  in  Phila- 
delphia, Mr.  Girard  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania.  On  ^bis  return  to  Philadelphia  from 


STEPHEN    GIRARD  I     A    BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH.  I  I  I 

Mount  Holly,  he  resumed  his  business,  directing  his  atten- 
tion especially  to  the  West  India  trade.  His  previous  ex- 
perience, combined  with  unflagging  labor  and  economy, 
greatly  aided  in  making  his  progress  to  fortune  rapid  and, 
at  the  same  time,  sure.  His  father-in-law,  Mr.  Lum,  built 
for  him  a  sloop,  the  "  Water- Witch,"  and,  as  it  was 
through  the  planning  of  this  boat  that  he  had  met  his  wife, 
he  naturally  regarded  it  with  affection,  and  had  a  super- 
stition that  it  could  never  cause  him  loss. 

Mr.  Girard  pursued  so  successfully  the  New  Orleans  and 
West  India  trade,  and  his  gains  increased  to  such  an  ex- 
tent, that  he  was  able  to  greatly  extend  his  enterprises.  In 
1780  he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother  Jean, 
but  contentions  arose,  and  these  became  so  bitter  that  the 
partnership  was  soon  dissolved. 

About  this  time  Mrs.  Girard  fell  into  a  state  of  melan- 
choly, which  became  so  pronounced  that,  after  a  consulta- 
tion with  prominent  physicians,  Mr.  Girard  reluctantly  con- 
sented to  place  her  in  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital.  Shortly 
after  she  had  been  admitted  she  gave  birth  to  a  child,  which 
was  baptized  Mary,  but  which  died  in  a  few  months.  Mrs. 
Girard  remained  an  inmate  of  the  hospital  for  twenty-five 
years,  and  died  there  on  September  15,  1815. 

In  1791,  Mr.  Girard  commenced  building  those  fine 
ships  which  were,  in  their  day,  the  pride  of  Philadelphia, 
and  which  soon  engaged  in  trade  with  the  most  important 
seaports  of  the  world.  They  were  named  the  "  Rousseau," 
"  Voltaire,"  "Montesquieu,"  "Helvetius;"  and  these 
names  show  that  he  had  an  affectionate  regard  for  the 
philosophers  of  his  native  land. 

In  1790,  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  was  established 
by  an  act  of  Congress.  It  received  a  charter  which  limited 


112  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

its  existence  to  twenty  years.  With  its  capital  of  ten  mil- 
lions of  dollars  it  was  a  powerful  agency  in  establishing  the 
credit  of  the  government,  in  facilitating  its  financial  opera- 
tions, and  in  promoting  its  industry  and  commerce.  The 
bank  began  business  in  Carpenters'  Hall  in  Philadelphia,, 
with  branches  in  other  cities.  In  1797  it  was  removed  to 
the  new  building  on  Third  Street  below  Chestnut  Street. 

In  1 8 10,  Mr.  Girard  had  about  a  million  dollars  with  the 
house  of  Baring  Bros.  &  Co.,  of  London.  Owing  to  the 
Barings  being  on  the  verge  of  bankruptcy,  Mr.  Girard's 
money  was  in  peril.  He  succeeded  in  obtaining  his  funds 
by  the  purchase  of  British  goods,  and  of  shares  in  the  Bank 
of  the  United  States.  The  act  of  Congress  to  recharter  the 
bank  having  been  defeated,  the  bank  closed,  and  Mr.  Gi- 
rard purchased  the  bank  building  and  cashier's  house  for 
one-third  their  original  cost,  and  on  the  I2th  of  May,  1812, 
he  opened  the  Bank  of  Stephen  Girard. 

When,  in  1814,  the  resources  of  the  country  were  at 
the  lowest  ebb,  the  treasury  bankrupt,  a  foreign  foe  march- 
ing through  the  land,  and  when  under  these  conditions  the 
government  asked  for  a  loan  of  five  millions  of  dollars,  and 
the  inducement  of  a  large  bonus,  and  interest  at  seven  per 
cent.,  with  the  result  that  only  twenty  thousand  dollars 
of  the  amount  asked  for  was  subscribed,  then  Mr.  Girard 
came  forward  and  subscribed  for  the  large  balance  of  over 
four  and  a  half  millions  of  dollars.  This  act  of  patriotism 
restored  public  confidence,  and  those  who  had  refused  to 
subscribe  were  now  willing  to  pay  an  advance;  but  Mr. 
Girard  would  not  take  advantage  of  these  offers,  and  al- 
lowed them  to  purchase  on  the  same  terms.  The  sinews 
of  war  having  been  furnished,  a  series  of  brilliant  victories 
followed  and  peace  was- restored. 


STEPHEN    GIRARD  :     A    BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCH.  113 

In  1793,  Philadelphia  was  visited  by  an  epidemic  of 
yellow  fever,  and  a  reign  of  terror,  suffering,  and  desola- 
tion prevailed  throughout  the  city.  The  people  became 
panic-stricken,  and  the  roads  leading  from  the  city  were 
crowded  with  fugitives.  Hundreds  of  houses  became 
tenantless,  and  the  hearse  was  the  vehicle  most  frequently 
seen.  Self-preservation  made  the  people  forget  the  com- 
monest instincts  of  humanity. 

In  response  to  an  advertisement  in  the  Federal  Gazette, 
on  the  I2th  of  September,  1793,  twenty-seven  noble- 
hearted  men  met  at  the  City  Hall  to  take  measures  to  re- 
lieve the  distress.  Attention  was  first  paid  to  the  hospital 
at  Bush  Hill,  which  was  reported  as  being  "  without  order 
or  arrangement,  and  far  from  being  clean."  To  enter  this 
pest-house  was  thought  to  be  a  passage  to  the  grave.  At 
one  of  the  meetings  of  this  committee  an  incident  occurred 
which  is  best  to  give  in  the  words  of  the  late  Matthew 
Carey : 

"At  the  meeting  on  the  I5th,  a  circumstance  [occurred]  to  which  the  most 
glowing  pencil  can  hardly  do  justice.  Stephen  Girard,  a  wealthy  merchant,  a 
native  of  France,  and  one  of  the  members  of  the  committee,  touched  with  the 
wretched  condition  of  the  sufferers  at  Bush  Hill,  voluntarily  and  unexpectedly 
offered  himself  as  a  manager  to  superintend  that  hospital.  The  surprise  and 
satisfaction,  excited  by  this  extraordinary  effort  of  humanity,  can  be  better  con- 
ceived than  expressed.  Peter  Helm,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  also  a  member, 
offered  his  services  in  the  same  department.  Their  offers  were  accepted  ;  and 
the  same  afternoon  they  entered  on  the  execution  of  their  dangerous  and  praise- 
worthy office. 

"To  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  offer  of  these  men,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  take  in  full  consideration  the  general  consternation  which  at  that  period 
pervaded  every  quarter  of  the  city,  and  which  made  attendance  on  the  sick  be 
regarded  as  a  little  less  than  a  certain  sacrifice.  Uninfluenced  by  any  reflections 
of  this  kind,  without  any  possible  inducement  but  the  purest  motives  of  human- 
ity, they  came  forward  and  offered  themselves  as  the  forlorn  hope  of  the  com- 
mittee. I  trust  that  the  gratitude  of  their  fellow-citizens  will  remain  as  long  as 


114  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

the  memory  of  their  beneficent  conduct,  which  I  hope  will  not  die  with  the 
present  generation." 

Mr.  Girard  immediately  took  charge  of  the  interior  of 
the  hospital,  and  he  soon  made  his  wonderful  influence  felt. 
Order  reigned  where  all  had  been  chaos,  cleanliness  where 
filth  had  been  supreme;  and  within  twenty-four  hours  he 
reported  the  hospital  ready  to  afford  every  assistance.  As 
one  turns  over  the  pages  of  the  minutes  of  the  committee, 
day  after  day,  for  nearly  two  months,  we  find  the  line, 
"  Stephen  Girard  and  Peter  Helm  at  the  hospital."  Nor 
did  the  services  of  that  committee  end  when  the  disease 
ceased  to  exist.  They  supplied  the  poor  with  money,  pro- 
visions, and  fuel.  They  furnished  burial  for  the  dead. 
They  took  under  their  care  one  hundred  and  ninety-two 
orphans  of  those  who  had  died  of  the  fever,  and  they  only 
ceased  their  labors  when  they  had  taken  precautions 
against  a  similar  calamity  in  the  future.  We  can  form 
some  idea  of  the  terrible  results  of  this  epidemic,  from  the 
fact  that  from  the  ist  of  August  to  the  9th  of  November, 
1793,  there  were  four  thousand  and  thirty  deaths,  nearly 
one-tenth  of  the  population. 

Mr.  Girard  placed  a  very  modest  estimate  upon  his  ser- 
vices during  this  period.  Yet  few  men  have  equalled  him 
in  the  courage  and  spirit  of  humanity  he  displayed. 

In  1802,  Mr.  Girard  was  elected  by  his  fellow-citizens  to 
the  Councils  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  he  was  a  faith  • 
ful  and  useful  member  for  several  terms.  For  over  twenty- 
two  years  he  was  also  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Wardens 
of  the  port  of  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Girard's  public  spirit  was 
again  manifested  when  he  subscribed  one  hundred  and  ten 
thousand  dollars  for  the  improvement  of  the  navigation  of 


STEPHEN  GIRARD:   A  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH.          115 

the  Schuylkill  River,  and  the  subscription  and  the  tem- 
porary loans  which  he  made  to  the  Chesapeake  and  Dela- 
ware Canal.  When,  also,  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1829,  found  its  treasury  empty,  it  was  Mr.  Girard 
who  loaned  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  affording  the 
Commonwealth  the  relief  it  so  badly  needed.  This  was 
probably  the  last  public  act  of  Mr.  Girard's  life,  for  his  long 
career  of  unceasing  toil  was  drawing  to  a  close.  Refusing 
assistance  from  others,  he  insisted  on  giving  the  same  care- 
ful attention  to  the  details  of  his  great  business,  and  daily 
walked  from  his  residence  on  Water  Street  to  his  banking- 
house  on  Third  Street.  On  February  12,  1830,  while 
crossing  the  street,  at  Second  and  Market  Streets,  he  was 
struck  and  seriously  injured  by  a  rapidly  driven  wagon. 
His  health  now  declined,  and  an  attack  of  influenza,  then 
prevalent  in  Philadelphia,  prostrated  him,  and  he  died  on 
December  26,  1831,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  aged 
eighty-one  years,  seven  months,  and  six  days,  after  a  life 
of  labor,  perseverance,  economy,  and  success  which  has 
rarely  been  equalled. 

When  his  death  became  known,  there  was  a  universal 
expression  of  sorrow  at  the  decease  of  such  a  distinguished 
citizen.  At  a  meeting  of  the  authorities  of  the  city,  it  was 
decided  to  give  him  a  civic  funeral;  the  flags  of  the  shipping 
and  public  buildings  were  displayed  at  half-mast;  the  Coun- 
cils of  the  city  adopted  resolutions  of  regret,  and  their  re- 
spective halls  were  draped  in  mourning.  The  funeral, 
which  was  attended  by  a  large  number  of  citizens  and  all 
the  public  authorities,  took  place  on  December  30,  1831, 
and  the  mortal  remains  of  the  honored  "  Mariner  and  Mer- 
chant" were  taken  to  the  Holy  Trinity  Roman  Catholic 


Il6  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF   GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

Church  and  placed  in  a  vault  belonging  to  the  Baron  Lal- 
lemand.  After  nearly  twenty  years  his  remains  were  re- 
moved and  placed  in  a  marble  sarcophagus  in  the  vestibule 
of  Girard  College. 

A  full  knowledge  of  Stephen  Girard's  character  conveys, 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  have  studied  it,  a  vivid  impres- 
sion of  his  remarkable  qualities.  He  was  not  tall,  but  of 
very  solid  build,  with  a  short,  thick  neck  and  fearless  tem- 
perament, all  his  sturdy  endowments  took  the  direction  of 
indomitable  energy  in  enterprise  and  of  intrepid  assertion 
in  everything  right  and  good. 

Let  it  be  granted  that  he  was  eccentric,  but  eccentricity 
needs  defining.  He  was  a  rare  example  of  a  life  where  a 
man's  word  was  as  good  as  his  bond.  Money,  however, 
was  not  his  God.  He  did  not  accumulate  property  for  the 
mere  love  of  it.  He  believed  that  the  true  blessings  of  life 
came  through  justice  and  not  mercy. 

Two  facts  stand  out  prominently  in  the  earthly  passage 
of  this  markedly  gifted  man, — his  devotion  to  his  fellowr- 
men  and  his  love  for  his  adopted  country.  He  was  fearless, 
because  he  was  a  strong  man,  whose  hope  dimmed  not, 
whose  faith  faltered  not,  and  whose  courage  forsook  him 
not.  By  residence  he  belonged  to  Philadelphia,  by  faith 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church;  but  in  a  truer,  wider  sense 
he  belonged  to  no  city,  to  no  sect,  but  to  the  people,  to 
the  cause  of  the  greatest  good  for  all  men.  Whatever  he 
espoused,  whatever  he  touched,  he  enriched  with  the 
genius  of  a  determined  spirit  strong  for  success. 

Poor,  struggling,  full  of  ambition,  full  of  hope  in  his 
youth;  active,  determined,  enterprising,  and  charitable  in 
the  prime  of  life;  mourned  and  regretted  in  his  death;  such 


STEPHEN    GIRARD  :     A    BIOGRAPHICAL   SKETCH.  I  \*J 

was  the  life  of  the  most  eminent  philanthropist  of  his  time, 
who  lies  in  the  beautiful  Greek  temple  he  planned,  await- 
ing the  day  when  all  shall  be  judged. 

To  write  Mr.  Girard's  life  means  to  write  the  financial 
and  commercial  history  of  the  city  and  country  during  its 
early  and  critical  periods. 


WILL  OF  STEPHEN   GIRARD 

Dated  February   16,   1830.       Codicils,   dated  December  25,    1830, 

and  June  20,  1831. 

Proved  December  31,  1831. 

Recorded  Philada.  Will  Book  10,  /.  198. 


I,  Stephen  Girard,  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  in  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  mariner  and  merchant, 
being  of  sound  mind,  memory,  and  understanding,  do 
make  and  publish  this  my  last  will  and  testament,  in  man- 
ner following,  that  is  to  say.  .  .  . 

I.  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  "  The  Contributors  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Hospital,"  of  which  corporation  I  am  a 
member,  the  sum  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  upon  the  fol- 
lowing conditions,  namely,  that  the  said  sum  shall  be  added 
to  their  capital,  and  shall  remain  a  part  thereof  forever,  to 
be  placed  at  interest  and  the  interest  thereof  to  be  applied, 
in  the  first  place  to  pay  to  my  black  woman  Hannah  (to 
whom  I  hereby  give  her  freedom)  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
dollars  per  year,  in  quarterly  payments  of  fifty  dollars  each 
in  advance,  during  all  the  term  of  her  life;  and,  in  the 
second  place,  the  said  interest  to  be  applied  to  the  use  and 
accommodation  of  the  sick  in  the  said  hospital,  and  for 
providing  and  at  all  times  having  competent  matrons,  and 
a  sufficient  number  of  nurses  and  assistant  nurses,  in  order 

not  only  to  promote  the  purposes  of  the  said  hospital,  but 
118 


WILL   OF   STEPHEN    GIRARD.  I  19 

to  encrease  this  last  class  of  useful  persons  much  wanted 
in  our  city: 

II.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  "The  Pennsylvania  Institu- 
tion for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb"  the  sum  of  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  for  the  use  of  that  institution: 

III.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  "  the  Orphan  Asylum  of 
Philadelphia"  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  for  the  use  of 
that  Institution: 

IV.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  "  the  Comptrollers  of  the 
public  schools  for  the  city  and  county  of  Philadelphia"  the 
sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars  for  the  use  of  the  schools  upon 
the  Lancaster  system,  in  the  first  section  of  the  first  school 
district  of  Pennsylvania. 

V.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  "  The  Mayor,  Aldermen 
and   Citizens  of  Philadelphia,"   the  sum  of  ten  thousand 
dollars,  in  trust  safely  to  invest  the  same  in  some  produc- 
tive fund,  and  with  the  interest  and  dividends  arising  there- 
from to  purchase  fuel  between  the  months  of  March  and 
August  in  every  year  forever,  and  in  the  month  of  January 
in  every  year  forever  distribute  the  same,  amongst  poor 
white  house-keepers  and  room-keepers,  of  good  character, 
residing  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

VI.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  society  for  the  relief  of 
poor  and  distressed  masters  of  ships,  their  widows  and 
children,  (of  which  society  I  am  a  member)  the  sum  of  ten 
thousand  dollars  to  be  added  to  their  capital  stock,  for  the 
uses  and  purposes  of  said  society: 

VII.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  gentlemen,  who  shall 
be  trustees  of  the  Masonic  Loan  at  the  time  of  my  decease, 
the  sum  of  tzventy  thousand  dollars,  including  therein  ten 
thousand  and  nine  hundred  dollars  due  to  me,  part  of  the 
Masonic  Loan,  and  any  interest  that  may  be  due  thereon 


120  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

at  the  time  of  my  decease,  in  trust  for  the  use  and  benefit 
of  "  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Pennsylvania  and  masonic  juris- 
diction thereto  belonging,"  and  to  be  paid  over  by  the 
said  trustees  to  the  said  Grand  Lodge  for  the  purposes  of 
being  invested  in  some  safe  stock  or  funds,  or  other  good 
security,  and  the  dividends  and  interest  arising  therefrom 
to  be  again  so  invested  and  added  to  the  capital,  without 
applying  any  part  thereof  to  any  other  purpose  until  the 
whole  capital  shall  amount  to  thirty  thousand  dollars,  when 
the  same  shall  forever  after  remain  a  permanent  fund  or 
capital,  of  the  said  amount  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  the 
interest  whereof  shall  be  applied  from  time  to  time  to  the 
relief  of  poor  and  respectable  brethren:  and  in  order  that 
the  real  and  benevolent  purposes  of  masonic  institutions 
may  be  attained,  I  recommend  to  the  several  lodges  not 
to  admit  to  membership,  or  to  receive  members  from  other 
lodges,  unless  the  applicants  shall  absolutely  be  men  of 
sound  and  good  morals. 

VIII.  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  Philip  Peltz,  John 
Lentz,  Francis  Hesley,  Jacob  Baker  and  Adam  Young,  of 
Passyunk  township,  in  the  county  of  Philadelphia,  the 
sum  of  six  thousand  dollars,  in  trust  that  they  or  the  sur- 
vivors or  survivor  of  them  shall  purchase  a  suitable  piece 
of  ground,  as  near  as  may  be  in  the  centre  of  said  town- 
ship, and  thereon  erect  a  substantial  brick  building,  suffi- 
ciently large  for  a  school  house  and  the  residence  of  a 
school-master,  one  part  thereof  for  poor  male  white  chil- 
dren, and  the  other  part  for  poor  female  white  children  of 
said  township:  and  as  soon  as  the  said  school-house  shall 
have  been  built,  that  they  the  said  trustees  or  the  survivors 
or  survivor  of  them  shall  convey  the  said  piece  of  ground 
and  house  thereon  erected,  and  shall  pay  over  such  balance 


WILL   OF    STEPHEN    GIRARD.  121 

of  said  sum  as  may  remain  unexpended,  to  any  board  of 
directors  and  their  successors  in  trust,  which  may  at  the 
time  exist  or  be  by  law  constituted,  consisting  of  at  least 
twelve  discreet  inhabitants  of  the  said  township,  and  to 
be  annually  chosen  by  the  inhabitants  thereof;  the  said 
piece  of  ground  and  house  to  be  carefully  maintained  by 
said  directors  and  their  successors  solely  for  the  purposes 
of  a  school  as  aforesaid  forever,  and  the  said  balance  to  be 
securely  invested  as  a  permanent  fund,  the  interest  thereof 
to  be  applied  from  time  to  time  towards  the  education  in 
the  said  school  of  any  number  of  such  poor  white  children 
of  said  township;  and  I  do  hereby  recommend  to  the 
citizens  of  the  said  township  to  make  additions  to  the  fund 
whereof  I  have  laid  the  foundation. 

IX.  I  give  and  devise  my  house  and  lot  of    ground 
thereto  belonging,  situate  in  rue  Ramonet  aux  Chartrons, 
near  the  city  of  Bordeaux,  in  France,  and  the  rents  issues 
and  profits  thereof  to  my  brother  Etienne  Girard  and  my 
niece  Victoire  Fenellon  (daughter  of  my  late  sister  Sophia 
Girard    Capayron)    (both   residing   in    France)    in    equal 
moieties  for  the  life  of  my  said  brother,  and,  on  his  de- 
cease, one  moiety  of  the  said  house  and  lot  to  my  said 
niece  Victoire  and  her  heirs  forever,  and  the  other  moiety 
to  the  six  children  of  my  said  brother,  namely  John  Fa- 
bricius,  Marguerite,  Anne  Henriette,  Jean  August,  Marie, 
and  Madelaine  Henriette,  share  and  share  alike  (the  issue 
of  any  deceased  child  if  more  than  one  to  take  amongst 
them  the  parent's  share)  and  their  heirs  forever. 

X.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  said  brother  Etienne 
Girard  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars,  and  the  like  sum 
of  five  thousand  dollars  to  each  of  his  six  children  above 
named:   if  any  of  the  said  children  shall  die  prior  to  the 


122  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

receipt  of  his  or  her  legacy  of  five  thousand  dollars,  the 
said  sum  shall  be  paid,  and  I  give  and  bequeath  the  same, 
to  any  issue  of  such  deceased  child,  if  more  than  one  share 
and  share  alike. 

XL     I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  said  niece  Victoire 
Fenellon  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars. 

XII.  I  give  and  bequeath  absolutely  to  my  niece  An- 
toinetta,  now  married  to  Mr   Hemphill,  the  sum  of    ten 
thousand  dollars,  and  I  also  give  and  bequeath  to  her  the 
sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  to  be  paid  over  to  a  trustee 
or  trustees  to  be  appointed  by  my  executors,  which  trustee 
or  trustees  shall  place  and  continue  the  said  sum  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars  upon  good  security,  and  pay  the  interest 
and  dividends  thereof  as  they  shall  from  time  to  time  ac- 
crue, to  my  said  niece  for  her  separate  use,  during  the  term 
of  her  life,  and  from  and  immediately  after  her  decease, 
to  pay  and  distribute  the  capital  to  and  among  such  of 
her  children  and  the  issue  of  deceased  children,  and  in  such 
parts  and  shares  as  she  the  said  Antoinetta,  by  any  instru- 
ment under  her  hand  and  seal  executed  in  the  presence  of 
at  least  two  credible  witnesses  shall  direct  and  appoint,  and 
for  default  of  such  appointment  then  to  and  among  the 
said  children  and  issue  of  deceased  children  in  equal  shares, 
such  issue  of  deceased  children  if  more  than  one  to  take 
only  the  share  which  their  deceased  parent  would  have 
taken  if  living. 

XIII.  I  give  and  bequeath  unto  my  niece  Carolina, 
now  married  to  Mr  Haslam,  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars, 
to  be  paid  over  to  a  trustee  or  trustees  to  be  appointed  by 
my  executors,  which  trustee  or  trustees  shall  place  and 
continue  the  said  money  upon  good  security,  and  pay  the 
interest  and  dividendsHhereof  from  time  to  time,  as  they 


WILL    OF   STEPHEN    G1RARD.  123 

shall  accrue,  to  my  said  niece,  for  her  separate  use  during 
the  term  of  her  life;  and,  from  and  immediately  after  her 
decease,  to  pay  and  distribute  the  capital  to  and  among 
such  of  her  children  and  issue  of  deceased  children,  and 
in  such  parts  and  shares,  as  she  the  said  Carolina,  by  any 
instrument  under  her  hand  and  seal  executed,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  at  least  two  credible  witnesses,  shall  direct  and 
appoint,  and  for  default  of  such  appointment,  then  to  and 
among  the  said  children  and  issue  of  deceased  children,  in 
equal  shares,  such  issue  of  deceased  children  if  more  than 
one,  to  take  only  the  share  which  the  deceased  parent 
would  have  taken  if  living:  but  if  my  said  niece  Carolina 
shall  leave  no  issue,  then  the  said  trustee  or  trustees  on 
her  decease  shall  pay  the  said  capital  and  any  interest  ac- 
crued thereon  to  and  among  Caroline  Lallemand  (niece  of 
the  said  Carolina)  and  the  children  of  the  aforesaid  An- 
toinetta  Hemphill,  share  and  share  alike. 

XIV.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  niece  Henrietta,  now 
married  to  Dr  Clark,  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars;  and 
I  give  and  bequeath  to  her  daughter  Caroline  (in  the  last 
clause  above  named)  the  sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars 
— the  interest  of  the  said  sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars, 
or  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  to  be  applied  to 
the  maintenance  and  education  of  the  said  Caroline  during 
her  minority,  and  the  principal  with  any  accumulated  in- 
terest to  be  paid  to  the  said  Caroline,  on  her  arrival  at  the 
age  of  twenty-one  years. 

XV.  Unto  each  of  the  captains,  who  shall  be  in  my 
employment  at  the  time  of  my  decease,  either  in  port  or 
at  sea,  having  charge  of  one  of  my  ships  or  vessels,  and 
having  performed  at  least  two  voyages  in  my  service,  I 
give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars — 


124  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

provided  he  shall  have  brought  safely  into  the  port  of 
Philadelphia,  or  if  at  sea  at  the  time  of  my  decease  shall 
bring  safely  into  that  port,  my  ship  or  vessel  last  entrusted 
to  him,  and  also  that  his  conduct  during  the  last  voyage 
shall  have  been  in  every  respect  conformable  to  my  in- 
structions to  him. 

XVI.  All  persons,  who,  at  the  time  of  my  decease,  shall 
be  bound  to  me  by  indenture,  as  apprentices  or  servants, 
and  who  shall  then  be  under  age,  I  direct  my  executors  to 
assign  to  suitable  masters  immediately  after  my  decease, 
for  the  remainder  of  their  respective  terms,  on  conditions 
as  favorable  as  they  can  in  regard  to  education,  clothing, 
and  freedom  dues;  to  each  of  the  said  persons,  in  my  ser- 
vice and  under  age  at  the  time  of  my  decease  I  give  and 
bequeath  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  which  sums  re- 
spectively I  direct  my  executors  safely  to  invest  in  public 
stock,  to  apply  the  interest  and  dividends  thereof  towards 
the  education  of  the  several  apprentices  or  servants,  for 
whom  the  capital  is  given,  respectively,  and  at  the  termina- 
tion of  the  apprenticeship  or  service  of  each  to  pay  to  him 
or  her  the  said  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars  and  any  interest 
accrued  thereon,  if  any  such  interest  shall  remain  unex- 
pended:   in  assigning  any  indenture,  preference  shall  be 
given  to  the  mother,  father,  or  next  relation,  as  assignee, 
should  such  mother,  father,  or  relative  desire  it,  and  be  at 
the  same  time  respectable  and  competent. 

XVII.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  Francis  Hesley  (son  of 
MM  S.  Hesley,  who  is  mother  of  Marianne  Hesley)  the  sum 
of  one  thousand  dollars,  over  and  above  such  sum  as  may 
be  due  to  him  at  my  decease. 

XVIII.  I  charge  my  real  estate  in  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania with  the  payment  of  the  several  annuities  or  sums 


WILL    OF   STEPHEN    GIRARD.  125 

following  (the  said  annuities  to  be  paid  by  the  treasurer  or 
other  proper  officer  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia  appointed 
by  the  corporation  thereof  for  the  purpose  out  of  the  rents 
and  profits  of  said  real  estate,  hereinafter  directed  to  be 
kept  constantly  rented)  namely: 

1.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mrs  Elizabeth  Ingersoll,  widow 
of  Jared  Ingersoll,  esq.  late  of   the  city  of   Philadelphia, 
counsellor  at  law,  an  annuity  or  yearly  sum  of  one  thousand 
dollars,  to  be  paid  in  half  yearly  payments,  in  advance,  of 
five  hundred  dollars  each  during  her  life: — 

2.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mrs   Catherine  Girard,  now 
widow  of  Mr  J.  B.  Hoskins,  who  died  in  the  isle  of  France, 
an  annuity  or  yearly  sum  of  four  hundred  dollars,  to  be  paid 
in  half  yearly  payments  in  advance  of  two  hundred  dollars 
each,  during  her  life. 

3.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mrs  Jane  Taylor,  my  present 
house  keeper  (the  widow  of  the  late  captain  Alexander 
Taylor,  who  was  master  of  my  ship  Helvetius  and  died  in 
my  employment)  an  annuity  or  yearly  sum  of  five  hundred 
dollars,  to  be  paid  in  half  yearly  payments  in  advance  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  each,  during  her  life. 

4.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mrs  S.  Hesley,  my  house- 
keeper at  my  place  in  Passyunk  Township,  an  annuity 
or  yearly  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  to  be  paid  in  half 
yearly  payments  in  advance  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars each  during  her  life. 

5.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  Marianne  Hesley,  daughter 
of  Mrs  S.  Hesley,  an  annuity  or  yearly  sum  of  three  hundred 
dollars,  to  be  paid  to  her  mother  for  her  use  in  half  yearly 
payments  in  advance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  each, 
until  the  said  Marianne  shall  have  attained  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  when  the  said  annuity  shall  cease,  and 


126  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

the  said  Marianne  will  receive  the  five  hundred  dollars 
given  to  her  and  other  indented  persons,  according  to 
clause.  XVI.  of  this  will: 

6.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  late  house-keeper,  Mary 
Kenton,  an  annuity  or  yearly  sum  of  three  hundred  dollars 
to  be  paid  in  half  yearly  payments  in  advance  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  each  during  her  life. 

7.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mrs  Deborah  Scott,  sister  of 
Mary  Kenton,  and  wife  of  Mr  Edwin  T.  Scott,  an  annuity 
or  yearly  sum  of  three  hundred  dollars,  to  be  paid  in  half 
yearly  payments  in  advance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars each,  during  her  life. 

8.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mrs  Catharine  McLaren,  sister 
of  Mary  Kenton,  and  wife  of  Mr  M.  McLaren,  an  annuity 
or  yearly  sum  of  three  hundred  dollars,  to  be  paid  in  half 
yearly  payments   in   advance   of  one  hundred   and   fifty 
dollars  each,  during  her  life. 

9.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  Mrs  Amelia  G.  Taylor,  wife  of 
Mr  Richd  M.  Taylor,  an  annuity  or  yearly  sum  of  three 
hundred  dollars  to  be  paid  in  half  yearly  payments  in  ad- 
vance of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  each  during  her  life. 

XIX.  All  that  part  of  my  real  and  personal  estate,  near 
Washita,  in  the  state  of  Louisiana,  the  said  real  estate 
consisting  of  upwards  of  two  hundred  and  eight  thousand 
arpens  or  acres  of  land,  and  including  therein  the  settle- 
ment hereinafter  mentioned,  I  give,  devise,  and  bequeath, 
as  follows,  namely:  i.  I  give  devise  and  bequeath  to  the 
corporation  of  the  City  of  New  Orleans,  their  successors 
and  assigns,  all  that  part  of  my  real  estate,  constituting 
the  settlement  formed  on  my  behalf  by  my  particular  friend 
Judge  Henry  Bree,  of  Washita,  consisting  of  upwards  of 
one  thousand  arpens  or  acres  of  land  with  the  appurte- 


WILL   OF   STEPHEN    GIRARD.  I2/ 

nances  and  improvements  thereon,  and  also  all  the  personal 
estate  thereto  belonging  and  thereon  remaining,  including 
upwards  of  thirty  slaves  now  on  said  settlement  and  their 
encrease,  in  trust,  however,  and  subject  to  the  following 
reservations:  I  desire,  that  no  part  of  the  said  estate  or 
property,  or  the  slaves  thereon,  or  their  encrease,  shall  be 
disposed  of  or  sold  for  the  term  of  twenty  years  from  and 
after  my  decease,  should  the  said  judge  Henry  Bree  sur- 
vive me  and  live  so  long,  but  that  the  said  settlement  shall 
be  kept  up  by  the  said  judge  Henry  Bree,  for  and  during 
said  term  of  twenty  years,  as  if  it  was  his  own,  that  is,  it 
shall  remain  under  his  sole  care  and  control,  he  shall  im- 
prove the  same  by  raising  such  produce  as  he  may  deem 
most  advisable,  and,  after  paying  taxes,  and  all  expenses 
in  keeping  up  the  settlement  by  clothing  the  slaves  and 
otherwise,  he  shall  have  and  enjoy  for  his  own  use  all  the 
nett  profits  of  said  settlement: — provided  however  and  I 
desire  that  the  said  judge  Henry  Bree  shall  render  annually 
to  the  corporation  of  the  City  of  New  Orleans,  a  report 
of  the  state  of  the  settlement,  the  income  and  expenditure 
thereof,  the  number  and  encrease  of  the  slaves,  and  the 
nett  result  of  the  whole.  I  desire  that,  at  the  expiration 
of  the  said  term  of  twenty  years,  or  on  the  decease  of  the 
said  Judge  Henry  Bree,  should  he  not  live  so  long,  the 
land  and  improvements  forming  said  settlement,  the  slaves 
thereon  or  thereto  belonging,  and  all  other  appurtenant 
personal  property,  shall  be  sold,  as  soon  as  the  said  Cor- 
poration shall  deem  it  advisable  to  do  so,  and  the  proceeds 
of  the  said  sale  or  sales  shall  be  applied  by  the  said  cor- 
poration to  such  uses  and  purposes  as  they  shall  consider 
most  likely  to  promote  the  health  and  general  prosperity 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans:  But,  until 


128  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

the  said  sale  shall  be  made,  the  said  corporation  shall  pay 
all  taxes,  prevent  waste  or  intrusion,  and  so  manage  the 
said  settlement  and  the  slaves  and  their  encrease  thereon, 
as  to  derive  an  income,  and  the  said  income  shall  be  ap- 
plied from  time  to  time,  to  the  same  uses  and  purposes  for 
the  health  and  general  prosperity  of  the  said  inhabitants. 
2.  I  give  devise  and  bequeath  to  the  Mayor  Aldermen  and 
citizens  of  Philadelphia,  their  successors  and  assigns,  two 
undivided  third  parts  of  all  the  rest  and  residue  of  my  said 
real  estate,  being  the  lands  unimproved  near  Washita  in 
the  said  state  of  Louisiana,  in  trust,  that,  in  common  with 
the  corporation  of  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  they  shall  pay 
the  taxes  on  the  said  lands,  and  preserve  them  from  waste 
or  intrusion,  for  the  term  of  ten  years  from  and  after  my 
decease,  and,  at  the  end  of  the  said  term,  when  they  shall 
deem  it  advisable  to  do  so,  shall  sell  and  dispose  of  their 
interest  in  said  lands  gradually  from  time  to  time,  and 
apply  the  proceeds  of  such  sales  to  the  same  uses  and  pur- 
poses hereinafter  declared  and  directed  of  and  concerning 
the.  residue  of  my  personal  estate.  3.  And  I  give  devise 
and  bequeath  to  the  Corporation  of  the  city  of  New  Or- 
leans, their  successors  and  assigns,  the  remaining  one  un- 
divided third  part  of  the  said  lands,  in  trust,  in  common 
with  the  Mayor  Aldermen  and  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  to 
pay  the  taxes  on  the  said  lands  and  preserve  them  from 
waste  and  intrusion  for  the  term  of  ten  years  from  and  after 
my  decease,  and,  at  the  end  of  the  said  term  when  they 
shall  deem  it  advisable  to  do  so,  to  sell  and  dispose  of  their 
interest  in  said  lands  gradually  from  time  to  time,  and  to 
apply  the  proceeds  of  such  sales  to  such  uses  and  purposes 
as  the  said  corporation  may  consider  most  likely  to  pro- 


WILL   OF    STEPHEN    GIRARD.  129 

mote  the  health  and  general  prosperity  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  City  of  New  Orleans. 

XX.  And  whereas  I  have  been  for  a  long  time  im- 
pressed with  the  importance  of  educating  the  poor,  and  of 
placing  them  by  the  early  cultivation  of  their  minds  and 
the  development  of  their  moral  principles,  above  the. many 
temptations,  to  which,  through  poverty  and  ignorance 
they  are  exposed;  and  I  am  particularly  desirious  to  pro- 
vide for  such  a  number  of  poor  male  white  orphan  children, 
as  can  be  trained  in  one  institution,  a  better  education  as 
well  as  a  more  comfortable  maintenance  than  they  usually 
receive  from  the  application  of  the  public  funds:  And 
whereas,  together  with  the  object  just  adverted  to  I  have 
sincerely  at  heart  the  welfare  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
and,  as  a  part  of  it,  am  desirious  to  improve  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  river  Delaware,  so  that  the  health  of  the  citi- 
zens may  be  promoted  and  preserved,  and  that  the  eastern 
part  of  the  city  may  be  made  to  correspond  better  with 
the  interior:  Now,  I  do  give  devise  and  bequeath  all  the 
residue  and  remainder  of  my  real  and  personal  estate  of  every 
sort  and  kind  and  whersoever  situate  (the  real  estate  in 
Pennsylvania  charged  as  aforesaid)  unto  "The  Mayor, 
aldermen  and  citizens  of  Philadelphia  their  successors  and 
assigns  in  trust  to  and  for  the  several  uses  intents  and  pur- 
poses hereinafter  mentioned  and  declared  of  and  concern- 
ing the  same,  that  is  to  say:  So  far  as  regards  my  real 
estate  in  Pennsylvania,  in  trust,  that  no  part  thereof  shall 
ever  be  sold  or  alienated  by  the  said  The  Mayor  Aldermen 
and  citizens  of  Philadelphia  or  their  successors,  but  the 
same  shall  forever  thereafter  be  let  from  time  to  time  to 
good  tenants,  at  yearly  or  other  rents  and  upon  leases  in 
possession  not  exceeding  five  years  from  the  commence- 


I3O  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

ment  thereof,  and  that  the  rents  issues  and  profits  arising 
therefrom  shall  be  applied  towards  keeping  that  part  of 
the  said  real  estate  situate  in  the  city  and  Liberties  of  Phila- 
delphia constantly  in  good  repair  (parts  elsewhere  situate 
to  be  kept  in  repair  by  the  tenants  thereof  respectively) 
and  towards  improving  the  same  whenever  necessary  by 
erecting  new  buildings,  and  that  the  nett  residue  (after 
paying  the  several  annuities  herein  before  provided  for) 
be  applied  to  the  same  uses  and  purposes  as  are  herein 
declared  of  and  concerning  the  residue  of  my  personal 
estate:  And  so  far  as  regards  my  real  estate  in  Kentucky, 
now  under  the  care  of  Messrs  Triplett  and  Burmley,  in 
trust  to  sell  and  dispose  of  the  same,  whenever  it  may  be 
expedient  to  do  so,  and  to  apply  the  proceeds  of  such  sale 
to  the  same  uses  and  purposes  as  are  herein  declared  of 
and  concerning  the  residue  of  my  personal  estate. 

XXI.  And  so  far  as  regards  the  residue  of  my  personal 
estate,  in  trust,  as  to  t^<uo  millions  of  dollars,  part  thereof, 
to  apply  and  expend  so  much  of  that  sum  as  may  be  neces- 
sary— in  erecting  as  soon  as  practicably  may  be,  in  the 
centre  of  my  square  of  ground  between  High  and  Chestnut 
streets  and  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets,  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  (which  square  of  ground  I  hereby  devote  for 
the  purposes  hereinafter  stated,  and  for  no  other,  forever) 
a  permanent  College,  with  suitable  out-buildings,  suffi- 
ciently spacious  for  the  residence  and  accommodation  of 
at  least  three  hundred  scholars,  and  the  requisite  teachers 
and  other  persons  necessary  in  such  an  institution  as  I 
direct  to  be  established;  and  in  supplying  the  said  college 
and  out-buildings  with  decent  and  suitable  furniture,  as 
well  as  books  and  all  other  things  needful  to  carry  into 
effect  my  general  design.  The  said  College  shall  be  con- 


WILL   OF   STEPHEN    GIRARD. 


structed  with  the  most  durable  materials  and  in  the  most 
permanent  manner,  avoiding  needless  ornament,  and  at- 
tending chiefly  to  the  strength,  convenience  and  neatness 
of  the  whole:  It  shall  be  at  least  one  hundred  and  ten 
feet  east  and  west,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  north 
and  south,  and  shall  be  built  on  lines  parallel  with  High 
and  Chestnut  streets  and  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets, 
provided  those  lines  shall  constitute  at  their  junction  right 
angles:  It  shall  be  three  stories  in  height,  each  story  at 
least  fifteen  feet  high  in  the  clear  from  the  floor  to  the 
cornice:  it  shall  be  fire-proof  inside  and  outside,  the  floors 
and  the  roof  to  be  formed  of  solid  materials,  on  arches 
turned  on  proper  centres,  so  that  no  wood  may  be  used, 
except  for  doors,  windows  and  shutters:  Cellars  shall  be 
made  under  the  whole  building,  solely  for  the  purposes  of 
the  institution;  the  doors  to  them  from  the  outside  shall 
be  on  the  east  and  west  of  the  building,  and  access  to  them 
from  the  inside  shall  be  had  by  steps,  descending  to  the 
cellar  floor  from  each  of  the  entries  or  halls  hereinafter 
mentioned,  and  the  inside  cellar  doors  to  open  under  the 
stairs  on  the  north-east  and  north-west  corners  of  the 
northern  entry,  and  under  the  stairs  on  the  south-east  and 
south-west  corners  of  the  southern  entry;  there  should  be 
a  cellar  window  under  and  in  a  line  with,  each  window  in 
the  first  story  —  they  should  be  built  one  half  below,  the 
other  half  above,  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  the  ground 
outside  each  window  should  be  supported  by  stout  walls; 
the  sashes  should  open  inside,  on  hinges,  like  doors,  and 
there  should  be  strong  iron  bars  outside  each  window;  the 
windows  inside  and  outside  should  not  be  less  than  four 
feet  wide  in  the  clear:  There  shall  be  in  each  story  four 
rooms,  each  room  not  less  than  fifty  feet  square  in  the 


132  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF   GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

clear;  the  four  rooms  on  each  floor  to  occupy  the  whole 
space  east  and  west  on  such  floor  or  story,  and  the  middle 
of  the  building  north  and  south;  so  that  in  the  north  of 
the  building,  and  in  the  south  thereof,  there  may  remain  a 
space  of  equal  dimensions,  for  an  entry  or  hall  in  each,  for 
stairs  and  landings:  In  the  north-east  and  in  the  north- 
west corners  of  the  northern  entry  or  hall  on  the  first  floor, 
stairs  shall  be  made  so  as  to  form  a  double  stair-case,  which 
shall  be  carried  up  through  the  several  stories;  and,  in 
like  manner,  in  the  south-east  and  south-west  corners  of 
the  southern  entry  or  hall,  stairs  shall  be  made,  on  the  first 
floor,  so  as  to  form  a  double  stair-case,  to  be  carried  up 
through  the  several  stories;  the  steps  of  the  stairs  to  be 
made  of  smooth  white  marble  with  plain  square  edges, 
each  step  not  to  exceed  nine  inches  in  the  rise,  nor  to  be 
less  than  ten  inches  in  the  tread:  the  outside  and  inside 
foundation  walls  shall  be  at  least  ten  feet  high  in  the  clear 
from  the  ground  to  the  ceiling:  the  first  floor  shall  be  at 
least  three  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ground  around  the 
building,  after  that  ground  shall  have  been  so  regulated 
as  that  there  shall  be  a  gradual  descent  from  the  centre  to 
the  sides  of  the  square  formed  by  High  and  Chestnut  and 
Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets:  all  the  outside  foundation 
walls,  forming  the  cellars,  shall  be  three  feet  and  six  inches 
thick  up  to  the  first  floor,  or  as  high  as  may  be  necessary 
to  fix  the  centres  for  the  first  floor;  and  the  inside  founda- 
tion wall,  running  north  and  south,  and  the  three  inside 
foundation  walls,  running  east  and  west,  (intended  to  re- 
ceive the  interior  walls  for  the  four  rooms  each  not  less 
than  fifty  feet  square  in  the  clear,  above  mentioned)  shall 
be  three  feet  thick  up  to  the  first  floor,  or  as  high  as  may 
be  necessary  to  fix  the^xentres  for  the  first  floor:  when 


WILL   OF   STEPHEN    GJRARD.  133 

carried  so  far  up,  the  outside  walls  shall  be  reduced  to  two 
feet  in  thickness,  leaving  a  recess  outside  of  one  foot  and 
inside  of  six  inches — and  when  carried  so  far  up,  the  in- 
side foundation  walls  shall  also  be  reduced,  six  inches  on 
each  side,  to  the  thickness  of  two  feet;  centres  shall  then 
be  fixed  on  the  various  recesses  of  six  inches  throughout, 
left  for  the  purpose,  the  proper  arches  shall  be  turned,  and 
the  first  floor  laid:  the  outside  and  the  inside  walls  shall 
then  be  carried  up  of  the  thickness  of  two  feet  throughout, 
as  high  as  may  be  necessary  to  begin  the  recess  intended 
to  fix  the  centres  for  the  second  floor,  that  is  the  floor  for 
the  four  rooms  each  not  less  than  fifty  feet  square  in  the 
clear,  and  for  the  landing  in  the  north,  and  the  landing  in 
the  south,  of  the  building,  where  the  stairs  are  to  go  up — 
at  this  stage  of  the  work,  a  chain,  composed  of  bars  of  inch 
square  iron,  each  bar  about  ten  feet  long,  and  linked  to- 
gether by  hooks  formed  of  the  ends  of  the  bars,  shall  be 
laid  straightly  and  horizontally  along  the  several  walls,  and 
shall  be  as  tightly  as  possible  worked  into  the  centre  of 
them  throughout,  and  shall  be  secured  wherever  necessary, 
especially  at  all  the  angles,  by  iron  clamps  solidly  fastened, 
so  as  to  prevent  cracking  or  swerving  in  any  part;  centres 
shall  then  be  laid,  the  proper  arches  turned  for  the  second 
floor  and  landings,  and  the  second  floor  and  landings  shall 
be  laid:  the  outside  and  the  inside  walls  shall  then  be 
carried  up  of  the  same  thickness  of  two  feet  throughout 
as  high  as  may  be  necessary  to  begin  the  recess  intended 
to  fix  the  centres  for  the  third  floor  and  landings;  and, 
when  so  far  carried  up,  another  chain  similar  in  all  respects 
to  that  used  at  the  second  story,  shall  be  in  like  manner 
worked  into  the  walls  throughout  as  tightly  as  possible, 
and  clamped  in  the  same  way  with  equal  care;  centres  shall 

9 


134  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

be  formed,  the  proper  arches  turned,  and. the  third  floor 
and  landings  shall  be  laid:  the  outside  and  the  inside  walls 
shall  then  be  carried  up,  of  the  same  thickness  of  two  feet 
throughout,  as  high  as  may  be  necessary  to  begin  the  re- 
cess intended  to  fix  the  centres  for  the  roof;  and,  when  so 
carried  up,  a  third  chain,  in  all  respects  like  those  used 
at  the  second  and  third  stories,  shall  in  the  manner  before 
described  be  worked  as  tightly  as  possible  into  the  walls 
throughout,  and  shall  be  clamped  with  equal  care;  centres 
shall  now  be  fixed  in  the  manner  best  adapted  for  the  roof, 
which  is  to  form  the  ceiling  for  the  third  story,  the  proper 
arches  shall  be  turned,  and  the  roof  shall  be  laid  as  nearly 
horizontally  as  may  be,  consistently  with  the  easy  passage 
of  water  to  the  eaves:  the  outside  walls,  still  of  the  thick- 
ness of  two  feet  throughout,  shall  trlen  be  carried  up  about 
two  feet  above  the  level  of  the  platform,  and  shall  have 
marble  capping,  with  a  strong  and  neat  iron  railing  there- 
on: The  outside  walls  shall  be  faced  with  slabs  or  blocks 
of  marble  or  granite,  not  less  than  two  feet  thick,  and 
fastened  together  with  clamps  securely  sunk  therein — 
they  shall  be  carried  up  flush  from  the  recess  of  one  foot 
formed  at  the  first  floor  where  the  foundation  outside  wall 
is  reduced  to  two  feet:  The  floors  and  landings  as  well  as 
the  roof  shall  be  covered  with  marble  slabs,  securely  laid 
in  mortar;  the  slabs  on  the  roof  to  be  twice  as  thick  as 
those  on  the  floors.  In  constructing  the  walls,  as  well  as 
in  turning  the  arches,  and  laying  the  floors,  landings,  and 
roof,  good  and  strong  mortar,  and  grout,  shall  be  used, 
so  that  no  cavity  whatever  may  any  where  remain.  A 
furnace  or  furnaces  for  the  generation  of  heated  air  shall 
be  placed  in  the  cellar,  and  the  heated  air  shall  be  intro- 
duced in  adequate  quantity  wherever  wanted  by  means  of 


WILL    OF    STEPHEN    GIRARD.  135 

pipes  and  flues  inserted  and  made  for  the  purpose  in  the 
walls,  and  as  those  walls  shall  be  constructed.  In  case  it 
shall  be  found  expedient,  for  the  purposes  of  a  library  or 
otherwise,  to  encrease  the  number  of  rooms  by  dividing 
any  of  those,  directed  to  be  not  less  than  fifty  feet  square 
in  the  clear,  into  parts,  the  partition  walls  to  be  of  solid 
materials.  A  room  most  suitable  for  the  purpose,  shall 
be  set  apart  for  the  reception  and  preservation  of  my  books 
and  papers,  and  I  direct  that  they  shall  be  placed  there  by 
my  executors  and  carefully  preserved  therein.  There  shall 
be  two  principal  doors  of  entrance  into  the  college,  one 
into  the  entry  or  hall  on  the  first  floor  in  the  north  of  the 
building,  and  in  the  centre  between  the  east  and  west  walls, 
the  other  into  the  entry  or  hall  in  the  south  of  the  building, 
and  in  the  centre  between  the  east  and  west  walls;  the 
dimensions  to  be  determined  by  a  due  regard  to  the  size 
of  the  entire  building,  to  that  of  the  entry,  and  to  the  pur- 
poses of  the  doors.  The  necessity  for,  as  well  as  the  posi- 
tion and  size  of  other  doors,  internal  or  external,  and  also 
the  position  and  size  of  the  windows,  to  be,  in  like  manner, 
decided  on  by  a  consideration  of  the  uses  to  which  the 
building  is  to  be  applied,  the  size  of  the  building  itself  and 
of  the  several  rooms,  and  of  the  advantages  of  light  and  air: 
there  should  in  each  instance  be  double  doors;  those  open- 
ing into  the  rooms  to  be  what  are  termed  glass  doors,  so 
as  to  encrease  the  quantity  of  light  for  each  room,  and 
those  opening  outward  to  be  of  substantial  wood  work 
well  lined  and  secured:  the  windows  of  the  second  and 
third  stories  I  recommend  to  be  made  in  the  style  of  those 
in  the  first  and  second  stories  of  my  present  dwelling  house 
North  Water  street,  on  the  eastern  front  thereof;  and  out- 
side each  window  I  recommend  that  a  substantial  and  neat 


136  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

iron  balcony  be  placed  sufficiently  wide  to  admit  the  open- 
ing of  the  shutters  against  the  walls;  the  windows  of  the 
lower  story  to  be  in  the  same  style,  except  that  they  are  not 
to  descend  to  the  floor,  but  so  far  as  the  surbase,  up  to 
which  the  wall  is  to  be  carried,  as  is  the  case  in  lower  story 
of  my  house  at  my  place  in  Passyunk  township.  In  mi- 
nute particulars,  not  here  noticed,  utility  and  good  taste 
should  determine.  There  should  be  at  least  four  out- 
buildings, detached  from  the  main  edifice  and  from  each 
other,  and  in  such  positions  as  shall  at  once  answer  the 
purposes  of  the  institution,  and  be  consistent  with  the 
symmetry  of  the  whole  establishment: — each  building 
should  be,  as  far  as  practicable,  devoted  to  a  distinct  pur- 
pose: in  that  one  or  more  of  those  buildings,  in  which 
they  may  be  most  useful,  I  direct  my  executors  to  place 
my  plate  and  furniture  of  every  sort.  The  entire  square, 
formed  by  High  and  Chestnut  streets,  and  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  streets,  shall  be  enclosed  with  a  solid  wall,  at  least 
fourteen  inches  thick  and  ten  feet  high,  capped  with 
marble  and  guarded  with  irons  on  the  top  so  as  to  prevent 
persons  from  getting  over:  there  shall  be  two  places  of 
entrance  into  the  square,  one  in  the  centre  of  the  wall 
facing  High  street,  and  the  other  in  the  centre  of  the  wall 
facing  Chestnut  street:  at  each  place  of  entrance  there 
shall  be  two  gates,  one  opening  inward  and  the  other  out- 
ward; those  opening  inward  to  be  of  iron  and  in  the  style 
of  the  gates  north  and  south  of  my  banking  house,  and 
those  opening  outward  to  be  of  substantial  wood  work 
well  lined  and  secured  on  the  faces  thereof  with  sheet  iron. 
The  messuages  now  erected  on  the  south-east  corner  of 
High  and  Twelfth  streets,  and  on  Twelfth  street,  to  be 
taken  down  and  removed,  as  soon  as  the  College  and  out- 


WILL   OF   STEPHEN    GIRARD.  137 

buildings  shall  have  been  erected,  so  that  the  establish- 
ment may  be  rendered  secure  and  private. 

When  the  college  and  appurtenances  shall  have  been 
constructed,  and  supplied  with  plain  and  suitable  furni- 
ture, and  books,  philosophical  and  experimental  instru- 
ments and  apparatus,  and  all  other  matters  needful  to  carry 
my  general  design  into  execution;  the  income  issues  and 
profits  of  so  much  of  the  said  sum  of  two  millions  of  dollars 
as  shall  remain  unexpended  shall  be  applied  to  maintain 
the  said  College  according  to  my  directions: 

1.  The  institution  shall  be  organized  as  soon  as  practica- 
ble and,  to  accomplish  that  purpose  more  effectually,  due 
public  notice  of  the  intended  opening  of  the  college  shall 
be  given — so  that  there  may  be  an  opportunity  to  make 
selections  of  competent  instructors,  and  other  agents,  and 
those  who  may  have  the  charge  of  orphans  may  be  aware 
of  the  provisions  intended  for  them: 

2.  A  competent  number  of  instructors,  teachers,  assist- 
ants and  other  necessary  agents,  shall  be  selected,  and 
when  needful  their  places  from  time  to  time  supplied:  they 
shall  receive  adequate  compensation  for  their  services:  but 
no  person  shall  be  employed  who  shall  not  be  of  tried  skill 
in  his  or  her  proper  department,  of  established  moral  char- 
acter— and  in  all  cases  persons  shall  be  chosen  on  account 
of  their  merit,  and  not  through  favor  or  intrigue. 

3.  As  many  poor  white  male  orphans,1  between  the  ages 
of  six  and  ten  years,  as  the  said  income  shall  be  adequate 
to  maintain,  shall  be  introduced  into  the  college  as  soon 
as  possible;   and  from  time  to  time  as  there  may  be  va- 


A  fatherless  child,  Soohan  vs.  City,  33  Penna.  State  Reports,  p.  9. 


138  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRAKD    COLLEGE. 

cancies,  or  as  increased  ability  from  income  may  warrant, 
others  shall  be  introduced. 

4.  On  the  application  for  admission,  an  accurate  state- 
ment should  be  taken,  in  a  book  prepared  for  the  purpose, 
of  the  name,  birth-place,  age,  health,  condition  as  to  rela- 
tives, and  other  particulars,  useful  to  be  known,  of  each 
orphan. 

5.  No  orphan  should  be  admitted  until  the  guardians  or 
directors  of  the  poor,  or  a  proper  guardian,  or  other  com- 
petent authority,1   shall  have  given,  by  indenture,  relin- 
quishment,  or  otherwise,  adequate  power  to  the  Mayor 
Aldermen  and  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  or  to  directors  or 
others  by  them  appointed,  to  enforce,  in  relation  to  each 
orphan,  every  proper  restraint,  and  to  prevent  relatives  or 
others  from  interfering  with  or  withdrawing  such  orphan 
from  the  institution. 

6.  Those  orphans,  for  whose  admission  application  shall 
first  be  made,  shall  be  first  introduced,  all  other  things 
concurring — and  at  all  future  times  priority  of  application 
shall  entitle  the  applicant  to  preference  in  admission,  all 
other  things  concurring:  but,  if  there  shall  be  at  any  time, 
more  applicants  than  vacancies,  and  the  applying  orphans 
shall  have  been  born  in  different  places,  a  preference  shall 
be  given, — first  to  orphans  born  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia;2 secondly,  to  those  born  in  any  other  part  of  Penn- 
sylvania; thirdly  to  those  born  in  the  city  of  New  York 
(that   being   the   first   port   on    the   continent    of    North 
America,  at  which  I  arrived);  and  lastly,  to  those  born  in 

1  The  mother,  guardian,  or  next  friend  may  bind  to  the  City,  Act  of  Assembly 
approved  May  23,  1887  (P.L.,  1887,  p.  168). 

2  The   "old  City"  with  limits  as  they  existed  at  the  death  of  Mr.  Girard, 
Soohan  vs.  City,  33  Penna.  State-Reports,  p.  9. 


WILL   OF    STEPHEN    GIRARD.  139 

the  city  of  New  Orleans,  being  the  first  port  on  the  said 
continent  at  which  I  first  traded,  in  the  first  instance  as 
first  officer,  and  subsequently  as  master  and  part  owner  of 
a  vessel  and  cargo. 

7.  The  orphans,  admitted  into  the  College,  shall  be  there 
fed  with  plain  but  wholesome  food,  clothed  with  plain  but 
decent  apparel  (no  distinctive  dress  ever  to  be  worn)  and 
lodged  in  a  plain  but  safe  manner:    Due  regard  shall  be 
paid  to  their  health,  and  to  this  end  their  persons  and 
clothes  shall  be  kept  clean,  and  they  shall  have  suitable  and 
rational  exercise  and  recreation:  They  shall  be  instructed 
in  the  various  branches  of  a  sound  education,  comprehend- 
ing reading,   writing,    grammar,   arithmetic,    geography, 
navigation,  surveying,  practical  mathematics,  astronomy, 
natural,     chemical,     and     experimental     philosophy,     the 
French  and  Spanish  languages  [I  do  not  forbid,  but  I  do 
not  recommend,  the  Greek  and  Latin  Languages] — and 
such  other  learning  and  science,  as  the  capacities  of  the 
several  scholars  may  merit  or  warrant :  I  would  have  them 
taught  facts  and  things,  rather  than  words  or  signs:  And, 
especially,  I  desire,  that  by  every  proper  means  a  pure 
attachment   to   our   republican   institutions,    and    to    the 
sacred  rights  of  conscience,  as  guaranteed  by  our  happy 
constitutions,  shall  be  formed  and  fostered  in  the  minds 
of  the  scholars. 

8.  Should  it  unfortunately  happen,  that  any  of  the  or- 
phans, admitted  into  the  college,  shall,  from  malconduct, 
have  become   unfit   companions   for   the   rest,   and   mild 
means   of   reformation   prove   abortive,    they   should   no 
longer  remain  therein. 

9.  Those  scholars,  who  shall  merit  it,  shall  remain  in  the 
college  until  they  shall  respectively  arrive  at  between  four- 


I4O  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

teen  and  eighteen  years  of  age;  they  shall  then  be  bound 
out  by  the  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  citizens  of  Philadelphia, 
or  under  their  direction,  to  suitable  occupations,  as  those 
of  agriculture,  navigation,  arts,  mechanical  trades,  and 
manufactures,  according  to  the  capacities  and  acquire- 
ments of  the  scholars  respectively;  consulting,  as  far  as 
prudence  shall  justify  it,  the  inclinations  of  the  several 
scholars,  as  to  the  occupation,  art,  or  trade,  to  be  learned. 
In  relation  to  the  organization  of  the  college  and  its 
appendages,  I  leave,  necessarily,  many  details  to  the  Mayor 
Aldermen  and  citizens  of  Philadelphia  and  their  successors; 
and  I  do  so,  with  the  more  confidence,  as,  from  the  nature 
of  my  bequests  and  the  benefit  to  result  from  them,  I  trust 
that  my  fellow  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  will  observe  and 
evince  especial  care  and  anxiety  in  selecting  members  for 
their  City  Councils,  and  other  agents:  There  are,  however, 
some  restrictions,  which  I  consider  it  my  duty  to  prescribe, 
and  to  be,  amongst  others,  conditions  on  which  my  be- 
quest for  said  college  is  made  and  to  be  enjoyed,  namely: 
first,  I  enjoin  and  require,  that,  if,  at  the  close  of  any  year, 
the  income  of  the  fund  devoted  to  the  purposes  of  the  said 
college  shall  be  more  than  sufficient  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  institution  during  that  year,  then  the  balance  of  the 
said  income,  after  defraying  such  maintenance,  shall  be 
forthwith  invested  in  good  securities,  thereafter  to  be  and 
remain  a  part  of  the  capital;  but,  in  no  event,  shall  any 
part  of  the  said  capital  be  sold,  disposed  of,  or  pledged,  to 
meet  the  current  expenses  of  the  said  institution,  to  which 
I  devote  the  interest,  income,  and  dividends  thereof  ex- 
clusively: secondly,  I  enjoin  and  require,  that  no  ecclesiastic, 
missionary,  or  minister  of  any  sect  whatsoever,  shall  ever  hold 
or  exercise  any  station  or  .duty  whatever  in  the  said  college; 


WILL    OF   STEPHEN    GIRARD.  14! 

nor  shall  any  such  person  ever  be  admitted  for  any  purpose, 
or  as  a  visitor,  within  the  premises  appropriated  to  the  pur- 
poses of  the  said  college: — .  ...  In  making  this  restriction, 
I  do  not  mean  to  cast  any  reflection  upon  any  sect  or 
person  whatsoever;  but,  as  there  is  such  a  multitude  of 
sects/  and  such  a  diversity  of  opinion  amongst  them,  I 
desire  to  keep  the  tender  minds  of  the  orphans,  who  are 
to  derive  advantage  from  this  bequest,  free  from  the  ex- 
citements, which  clashing  doctrines  and  sectarian  con- 
troversy are  so  apt  to  produce;  My  desire  is,  that  all  the 
instructors  and  teachers  in  the  college  shall  take  pains  to 
instil  into  the  minds  of  the  scholars  the  purest  principles  of 
morality,  so  that,  on  their  entrance  into  active  life,  they 
may,  from  inclination  and  habit,  evince  benevolence  towards 
their  fellow  creatures,  and  a  love  of  truth,  sobriety  and  in- 
dustry, adopting  at  the  same  time  such  religious  tenets  as 
their  matured  reason  may  enable  them  to  prefer. 

If  the  income,  arising  from  that  part  of  the 

said  sum  of  two  millions  of  dollars,  remaining  after  the 
construction  and  furnishing  of  the  college  and  out-build- 
ings, shall,  owing  to  the  encrease  of  the  number  of  orphans, 
applying  for  admission,  or  other  cause,  be  inadequate  to 
the  construction  of  new  buildings,  or  the  maintenance  and 
education  of  as  many  orphans  as  may  apply  for  admission, 
then  such  further  sum  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  con- 
struction of  new  buildings  and  the  maintenance  and  edu- 
cation of  such  further  number  of  orphans,  as  can  be  main- 
tained and  instructed  within  such  buildings  as  the  said 
square  of  ground  shall  be  adequate  to,  shall  be  taken  from 
the  final  residuary  fund  hereinafter  expressly  referred  to 
for  the  purpose,  comprehending  the  income  of  my  real 
estate  in  the  city  and  county  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  divi- 


142  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

dends  of  my  stock  in  the  Schuylkill  navigation  company 
— my  design  and  desire  being,  that  the  benefits  of  said  in- 
stitution shall  be  extended  to  as  great  a  number  of  orphans 
as  the  limits  of  the  said  square  and  buildings  therein  can 
accommodate. 

XXII.  And  as  to  the  further  sum  of  five  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  part  of  the  residue  of  my  personal  estate,  in 
trust,  to  invest  the  same  securely,  and  to  keep  the  same 
so  invested,  and  to  apply  the  income  thereof  exclusively 
to  the  following  purposes,  that  is  to  say: 

i.  To  lay  out,  regulate,  curb,  light  and  pave  a  passage 
or  street,  on  the  east  part  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  front- 
ing the  river  Delaware,  not  less  than  twenty-one  feet 
wide,  and  to  be  called  Delaware  Avenue,  extending  from 
South  or  Cedar  Street,  all  along  the  east  part  of  Water 
street  squares,  and  the  west  side  of  the  logs,  which  form 
the  heads  of  the  docks,  or  thereabouts;  and  to  this  intent 
to  obtain  such  acts  of  Assembly,  and  to  make  such  pur- 
chases or  agreements,  as  will  enable  the  Mayor  Aldermen 
and  citizens  of  Philadelphia  to  remove  or  pull  down  all 
the  buildings,  fences  and  obstructions,  which  may  be  in 
the  way,  and  to  prohibit  all  buildings,  fences,  or  erections 
of  any  kind  to  the  eastward  of  said  avenue; — to  fill  up  the 
heads  of  such  of  the  docks  as  may  not  afford  sufficient 
room  for  the  said  street; — to  compel  the  owners  of 
wharves  to  keep  them  clean  and  covered  completely  with 
gravel  or  other  hard  materials,  and  to  be  so  levelled  that 
water  will  not  remain  thereon  after  a  shower  of  rain, — to 
completely  clean l  and  keep  clean  all  the  docks  within  the 


1  Not  to  clean,  but  to  compel  the  owners  to  clean,  Beck  vs.  City,  17  Penna. 
State  Reports,  p.  104. 


WILL   OF   STEPHEN    GIRARD.  143 

limits  of  the  city,  fronting  on  the  Delaware; — and  to  pull 
down  all  platforms  carried  out,  from  the  east  part  of  the 
city  over  the  river  Delaware,  on  piles  or  pillars. 

2.  To  pull  down  and  remove  all  wooden  buildings  (as 
well  those  made  of  wood  and  other  combustible  materials, 
as  those  called  brick-paned  or  frame  buildings  filled  in  with 
bricks)  that  are  erected  within  the  limits  of  the  City  of 
Philadelphia — and  also  to  prohibit  the  erection  of  any  such 
buildings  within  the  said  city's  limits  at  any  future  time. 

3.  To  regulate,  widen,  pave,  and  curb  Water  street,  and 
to  distribute  the  Schuylkill  water  therein  upon  the  follow- 
ing  plan   that   is  to   say, that   Water   street   be 

widened  east  and  west  from  Vine  street  all  the  way  to 
South  street,  in  like  manner  as  it  is  from  the  front  of  my 
dwelling  to  the  front  of  my  stores  on  the  west  side  of 
Water  street,  and  the  regulation  of  the  curbstones  con- 
tinued at  the  same  distance  from  one  another,  as  they  are 
at  present  opposite  to  the  said  dwelling  and  stores,  so  that 
the  regulation  of  the  said  street  be  not  less  than  thirty-nine 
feet  wide,  and  afford  a  large  and  convenient  foot-way,  clear 
of  obstructions  and  incumbrances  of  every  nature,  and  the 
cellar  doors  on  wrhich,  if  any  shall  be  permitted,  not  to  ex- 
tend from  the  buildings  on  to  the  foot-way  more  than  four 
feet;  the  said  width  to  be  encreased  gradually,  as  the  fund 
shall  permit,  and  as  the  capacity  to  remove  impediments 
shall  encrease,  until  there  shall  be  a  correct  and  permanent 
regulation  of  Water  street  on  the  principles  above  stated, 
so  that  it  may  run  north  and  south  as  strait  as  possible: 
That  the  ten  feet  middle  alleys,  belonging  to  the  public, 
and  running  from  the  centre  of  the  east  squares  to  Front 
street,  all  the  way  down  across  Water  street  to  the  river 
Delaware,  be  kept  open  and  cleansed  as  city  property,  all 


144  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

the  way  from  Vine  to  South  street — that  such  part  of  each 
centre  or  middle  alley  as  runs  from  Front  to  Water  street 
be  arched  over  with  bricks  or  stone,  in  so  strong  a  manner 
as  to  facilitate  the  building  of  plain  and  permanent  stone 
steps  and  plat-forms,  so  that  they  may  be  washed  and  kept 
constantly  clean:  and  that  the  continuance  of  the  said 
alleys,  from  the  east  side  of  Water  street  be  curbed  all  the 
way  to  the  river  Delaware  and  kept  open  forever — .  .  .  . 
(I  understand  that  those  middle  or  centre  alleys  were  left 
open  in  the  first  plan  of  the  lots,  on  the  east  front  of  the 
city,  which  were  granted  from  the  east  side  of  Front  street 
to  the  river  Delaware,  and  that  each  lot  on  said  east  front 
has  contributed  to  make  those  alleys  by  giving  a  part  of 
their  ground  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  each  lot;  those 
alleys  were  in  the  first  instance,  and  still  are,  considered 
public  property,  intended  for  the  convenience  of  the  in- 
habitants residing  in  Front  street  to  go  down  to  the  river 
for  water  and  other  purposes;  but,  owing  to  neglect  or  to 
some  other  cause,  on  the  part  of  those,  who  have  had  the 
care  of  the  city  property,  several  encroachments  have  been 
made  on  them  by  individuals,  by  wholly  occupying,  or 
building  over,  them,  or  otherwise,  and  in  that  way  the 
inhabitants,  more  particularly  those  who  reside  in  the 
neighborhood,  are  deprived  of  the  benefit  of  that  whole- 
some air,  which  their  opening  and  cleansing  throughout 
would  afford) :  That  the  iron  pipes,  in  Water  street,  which, 
by  being  of  smaller  size  than  those  in  the  other  streets, 
and  too  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  cause  constant 
leaks,  particularly  in  the  winter  season,  which  in  many 
places  render  the  street  impassable,  be  taken  up  and  re- 
placed by  pipes  of  the  same  size  quality  and  dimensions 
in  every  respect,  and  laid  down  as  deeply  from  the  surface 


WILL    OF    STEPHEN    GIRARD.  145 

of  the  ground,  as  the  iron  pipes,  which  are  laid  in  the  main 
streets  of  the  City:  ....  and  as  it  respects  pumps  for 
Schuylkill  water  and  fire-plugs  in  Water  street,  that  one 
of  each  be  fixed  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Vine  and 
Water  streets,  and  so  running  southward,  one  of  each  near 
the  steps  of  the  centre  alley  going  up  to  Front  street;  one 
of  each  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Sassafras  and  Water 
streets,  one  of  each  near  the  steps  of  the  centre  alley  going 
up  to  Front  street,  and  so  on  at  every  south-west  corner  of 
all  the  main  streets  and  Water  street,  and  of  the  centre 
alleys  of  every  square,  as  far  as  South  or  Cedar  street;  and 
when  the  same  shall  have  been  completed,  that  all  Water 
street  shall  be  repaved  by  the  best  workmen  in  the  most 
complete  manner,  with  the  best  paving  water-stones,  after 
the  height  of  the  curbstones  shall  have  been  regulated 
throughout,  as  well  as  the  ascent  and  descent  of  the  street, 
in  such  manner  as  to  conduct  the  Water  through  the  main 
streets  and  the  centre  alleys  to  the  river  Delaware,  as  far 
as  practicable;  and  whenever  any  part  of  the  street  shall 
want  to  be  raised,  to  use  nothing  but  good  paving  gravel 
for  that  purpose,  so  as  to  make  the  paving  as  permanent 
as  possible:  ....  By  all  which  improvements,  it  is  my  in- 
tention to  place  and  maintain  the  section  of  the  city  above 
referred  to  in  a  condition  which  will  correspond  better  with 
the  general  cleanness  and  appearance  of  the  whole  city, 
and  be  more  consistent  with  the  safety,  health,  and  com- 
fort of  the  citizens.  And  my  mind  and  will  are,  that  all 
the  income,  interest  and  dividends  of  the  said  capital  sum 
of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  shall  be  yearly  and  every 
year  expended  upon  the  said  objects,  in  the  order  in  which 
I  have  stated  them  as  closely  as  possible,  and  upon  no 
other  objects  until  those  enumerated  shall  have  been  at- 


146  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

tained:  and,  when  those  objects  shall  have  been  accom- 
plished, I  authorise  and  direct  the  said  The  Mayor  Alder- 
men and  Citizens  to  apply  such  part  of  the  income  of  the 
said  capital  sum  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  as  they 
may  think  proper  to  the  further  improvement,  from  time 
to  time,  of  the  eastern  or  Delaware  front  of  the  City. 

XXIII.  I  give  and  bequeath  to  the  Commonwealth  of 
Pennsylvania,  the  sum  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
for  the  purposes  of  internal  improvement  by  canal  navi- 
gation, to  be  paid  into  the  state  treasury  by  my  executors, 
as  soon  as  such  laws  shall  have  been  enacted  by  the  con- 
stituted authorities  of  the  said  commonwealth  as  shall  be 
necessary,  and  amply  sufficient  to  carry  into  effect,  or  to 
enable  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia to  carry  into  effect,  the  several  improvements 
above  specified;  namely,  i.  laws,  to  cause  Delaware  ave- 
nue, as  above  described,  to  be  made,  paved,  curbed,  and 
lighted;  to  cause  the  buildings,  fences,  and  other  obstruc- 
tions now  existing  to  be  abated  and  removed;  and  to  pro- 
hibit the  erection  of  any  such  obstructions  to  the  eastward 
of  said  Delaware  avenue;  2.  laws,  to  cause  all  wooden 
buildings  as  above  described  to  be  removed,  and  to  pro- 
hibit their  future  erection  within  the  limits  of  the  city  of 
Philadelphia:  3.  laws,  providing  for  the  gradual  widening, 
regulating,  paving,  and  curbing  Water  street,  as  herein- 
before described,  and  also  for  the  repairing  the  middle 
alleys,  and  introducing  the  Schuylkill  water,  and  pumps, 
as  before  specified — all  which  objects,  may,  I  persuade 
myself,  be  accomplished  on  principles  at  once  just  into 
relation  to  individuals,  and  highly  beneficial  to  the  public: 
the  said  sum,  however,  not  to  be  paid,  unless  said  laws 
be  passed  within  one  year  after  my  decease. 


WILL    OF    STEPHEN    GIRARD.  147 

XXIV.  And  as  it  regards  the  remainder  of  said  residue 
of  my  personal  estate,  in  trust,  to  invest  the  same  in  good 
securities,  and  in  like  manner  to  invest  the  interest  and 
income  thereof  from  time  to  time,  so  that  the  whole  shall 
form  a  permanent  fund;  and  to  apply  the  income  of  the 
said  fund: — 

1.  To  the  further  improvement  and  maintenance  of  the 
aforesaid  College,  as  directed  in  the  last  paragraph  of  the 
XXIst  clause  of  this  will: 

2.  To  enable  the  Corporation  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
to  provide  more  effectually  than  they  now  do,  for  the 
security  of  the  persons  and  property  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  said  city,  by  a  competent  police,  including  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  watchmen  really  suited  to  the  purpose; 
and  to  this  end,  I  recommend  a  division  of  the  city,  into 
watch  districts  or  four  parts,  each  under  a  proper  head, 
and  that  at  least  two  watchmen  shall  in  each  round  or 
station  patrol  together. 

3.  To  enable  the  said  corporation  to  improve  the  city 
property,  and  the  general  appearance  of  the  city  itself; 
and,  in  effect  to  diminish  the  burden  of  taxation,  now  most 
oppressive  especially  on  those,  who  are  the  least  able  to 
bear  it: 

To  all  which  objects,  the  prosperity  of  the  City,  and  the 
health  and  comfort  of  its  inhabitants,  I  devote  the  said 
fund  as  aforesaid,  and  direct  the  income  thereof  to  be 
applied  yearly  and  every  year  for  ever — after  providing 
for  the  College  as  hereinbefore  directed,  as  my  primary  ob- 
ject. But,  if  the  said  city  shall  knowingly  and  wilfully 
violate  any  of  the  conditions  hereinbefore  and  hereinafter 
mentioned,  then  I  give  and  bequeath  the  said  remainder 
and  accumulations  to  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania, 


148  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


for  the  purposes  of  internal  navigation,  excepting  how- 
ever the  rents  issues  and  profits  of  my  real  estate  in  the 
City  and  County  of  Philadelphia,  which  shall  forever  be 
reserved  and  applied  to  maintain  the  aforesaid  College,  in 
the  manner  specified  in  the  last  paragraph  of  the  XXIst 
clause  of  this  will:  And,  if  the  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania shall  fail  to  apply  this  or  the  preceding  bequest 
to  the  purposes  before  mentioned,  or  shall  apply  any  part 
thereof  to  any  other  use,  or  shall  for  the  term  of  one  year, 
from  the  time  of  my  decease,  fail  or  omit  to  pass  the  laws 
hereinbefore  specified  for  promoting  the  improvement  of 
the  city  of  Philadelphia,  then  I  give  devise  and  bequeath 
the  said  remainder  and  accumulations  (the  rents  aforesaid 
always  excepted  and  reserved  for  the  College  as  aforesaid) 
to  the  United  States  of  America  for  the  purposes  of  in- 
ternal navigation  and  no  other. 

Provided,  nevertheless,  and  I  do  hereby  declare,  that  all 
the  preceding  bequests  and  devises  of  the  residue  of  my 
estate  to  The  Mayor  Aldermen  and  Citizens  of  Philadel- 
phia, are  made  upon  the  following  express  conditions,  that 
is  to  say — First,  That  none  of  the  monies,  principal,  in- 
terest, dividends,  or  rents,  arising  from  the  said  residuary 
devise  and  bequest,  shall  at  any  time  be  applied  to  any 
other  purpose  or  purposes  whatever  than  those  herein 
mentioned  and  appointed: — Second,  that  separate  ac- 
counts, distinct  from  the  other  accounts  of  the  corpora- 
tion, shall  be  kept  by  the  said  corporation,  concerning  the 
said  devise,  bequest,  college  and  funds,  and  of  the  invest- 
ment and  application  thereof;  and  that  a  separate  account 
or  accounts  of  the  same  shall  be  kept  in  bank,  not  blended 
with  any  other  account,  so  that  it  may  at  all  times  appear 
on  examination  by  a  committee  of  the  legislature  as  here- 


WILL    OF    STEPHEN    GIRARD.  149 

inafter  mentioned,  that  my  intentions  had  been  fully  com- 
plied with: — Third,  That  the  said  corporation  render  a 
detailed  account  annually  in  duplicate  to  the  legislature 
of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  session,  one  copy  for  the  senate  and  the  other 
for  the  house  of  representatives,  concerning  the  said  de- 
vised and  bequeathed  estate,  and  the  investment  and  ap- 
plication of  the  same,  and  also  a  report  in  like  manner  of 
the  state  of  the  said  College,  and  shall  submit  all  their 
books  papers  and  accounts  touching  the  same,  to  a  com- 
mittee or  committees  of  the  legislature  for  examination, 
when  the  same  shall  be  required:  Fourth,  The  said  cor- 
poration shall  also  cause  to  be  published  in  the  month  of 
January,  annually,  in  two  or  more  newspapers  printed  in 
the  city  of  Philadelphia,  a  concise  but  plain  account  of  the 
state  of  the  trusts,  devises,  and  bequests  herein  declared 
and  made,  comprehending  the  condition  of  the  said  col- 
lege, the  number  of  scholars,  and  other  particulars  needful 
to  be  publicly  known,  for  the  year  next  preceding  the  said 
month  of  January,  annually. 

XXV.  And  whereas  I  have  executed  an  assignment  in 
trust  of  my  banking  establishment,  to  take  effect  the  day 
before  my  decease,  to  the  intent  that  all  the  concerns  there- 
of may  be  closed  by  themselves,  without  being  blended 
with  the  concerns  of  my  general  estate,  and  the  balance 
remaining  to  be  paid  over  to  my  executors:  Now,  I  do 
hereby  direct  my  executors,  hereinafter  mentioned,  not  to 
interfere  with  the  said  trust  in  any  way  except  to  see  that 
the  same  is  faithfully  executed,  and  to  aid  the  execution 
thereof  by  all  such  acts  and  deeds  as  may  be  necessary  and 
expedient  to  effectuate  the  same,  so  that  it  may  be  speedily 
closed,  and  the  balance  paid  over  to  my  executors,  to  go, 


I5O  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

as  in  my  will,  into  the  residue  of  my  estate:  And  I  do 
hereby  authorise  direct  and  empower  the  said  trustees  from 
time  to  time,  as  the  capital  of  the  said  bank  shall  be  re- 
ceived, and  shall  not  be  wanted  for  the  discharge  of  the 
debts  due  thereat,  to  invest  the  same  in  good  securities  in 
the  names  of  my  executors,  and  to  hand  over  the  same  to 
them,  to  be  disposed  of  according  to  this  my  will. 

XXVI.  Lastly — I  do  hereby  nominate  and  appoint 
Timothy  Paxson,  Thomas  P.  Cope,  Joseph  Roberts,  Wil- 
liam J.  Duane,  and  John  A.  Barclay ex- 
ecutors of  this  my  last  will  and  testament:  I  recommend 
to  them  to  close  the  concerns  of  my  estate  as  expeditiously 
as  possible,  and  to  see  that  my  intentions  in  respect  to  the 
residue  of  my  estate  are  and  shall  be  strictly  complied  with: 
and  I  do  hereby  revoke  all  other  wills  by  me  heretofore 
made. 

In  witness,  I,  the  said  Stephen  Girard  have  to  this  my 
last  will  and  testament,  contained  in  thirty-five  pages,  set 
.my  hand  at  the  bottom  of  each  page,  and  my  hand  and 
seal  at  the  bottom  of  this  page;  the  said  will  executed, 
from  motives  of  prudence,  in  duplicate,  this  sixteenth  day 
of  February,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
thirty. 

STEPHEN    GIRARD.     [SEAL] 

Signed,  sealed,  published,  and  declared  by  the  said 
Stephen  Girard,  as  and  for  his  last  will  and  testament,  in 
the  presence  of  us,  who  have  at  his  request  hereunto  sub- 
scribed our  names  as  witnesses  thereto  in  the  presence  of 
the  said  testator  and  of  each  other,  February  16,  1830. 

JOHN  H.  IRWIN, 
SAML  ARTHUR, 
S.  H.  CARPENTER. 


WILL    OF    STEPHEN    GIRARD. 


Whereas  I,  Stephen  Girard,  the  testator  named  in  the 
foregoing  will  and  testament,  dated  the  sixteenth  day  of 
February  eighteen  hundred  and  thirty,  have,  since  the  exe- 
cution thereof,  purchased  several  parcels  and  pieces  of 
real  estate,  and  have  built  sundry  messuages,  all  which,  as 
well  as  any  real  estate  that  I  may  hereafter  purchase,  it  is 
my  wish  and  intention  to  pass  by  the  said  will,  now  I  do 
hereby  republish  the  foregoing  last  will  and  testament 
dated  February  1  6,  1830,  and  do  confirm  the  same  in  all 
particulars:  In  witness,  I  the  said  Stephen  Girard  set  my 
hand  and  seal  hereunto  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  December 
eighteen  hundred  and  thirty. 

STEPHEN    GIRARD.     [SEAL] 

Signed  sealed  published  and  declared  by  the  said  Ste- 
phen Girard  as  and  for  a  re-publication  of  his  last  will  and 
testament  in  the  presence  of  us,  who  at  his  request  have 
hereunto  subscribed  our  names  as  witnesses  thereto  in 
the  presence  of  the  said  testator  and  of  each  other,  Decr 
25,  1830. 

JOHN  H.  IRWIN, 
SAML  ARTHUR, 
JNO.  THOMSON. 

Whereas  I,  Stephen  Girard,  the  testator  named  in  the 
foregoing  will  and  testament,  dated  February  16,  1830, 
have,  since  the  execution  thereof,  purchased  several  par- 
cels and  pieces  of  land  and  real  estate,  and  have  built 
sundry  messuages,  all  which,  as  well  as  any  real  estate  that 
I  may  hereafter  purchase,  it  is  my  intention  to  pass  by 
said  will;  and  whereas,  in  particular,  I  have  recently  pur- 
chased from  Mr  William  Parker  the  mansion  house,  out- 


152  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

buildings,  and  forty-five  acres  and  some  perches  of  land, 
called  Peel  Hall,  on  the  Ridge  Road  in  Penn  Township, 
now  I  declare  it  to  be  my  intention  and  I  direct  that  the 
orphan  establishment,  provided  for  in  my  said  will,  instead 
of  being  built  as  therein  directed  upon  my  square  of 
ground  between  High  and  Chestnut  and  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  streets  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  shall  be  built 
upon  the  estate  so  purchased  from  Mr  W.  Parker,  and  I 
hereby  devote  the  said  estate  to  that  purpose l  exclusively 
in  the  same  manner  as  I  had  devoted  the  said  square, 
hereby  directing  that  all  the  improvements  and  arrange- 
ments for  the  said  Orphan  Establishment  prescribed  by 
my  said  will  as  to  said  square  shall  be  made  and  executed 
upon  the  said  estate,  just  as  if  I  had  in  my  will  devoted  the 
said  estate  to  -said  purpose — consequently  the  said  square 
of  ground  is  to  constitute  and  I  declare  it  to  be  a  part  of 
the  residue  and  remainder  of  my  real  and  personal  estate 
and  given  and  devised  for  the  same  uses  and  purposes  as 
are  declared  in  section  XX.  of  my  will,  it  being  my  in- 
tention that  the  said  square  of  ground  shall  be  built  upon 
and  improved  in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure  a  safe  and 
permanent  income  for  the  purposes  stated  in  said  XXth 
section:  In  witness  whereof  I,  the  said  Stephen  Girard  set 
my  hand  and  seal  hereunto  the  twentieth  day  of  June 
eighteen  hundred  and  thirty-one. 

STEPHEN    GIRARD.     [SEAL] 

Signed  sealed  published  and  declared  by  the  said  Ste- 
phen Girard  as  and  for  a  re-publication  of  his  last  will  and 
testament  and  a  further  direction  in  relation  to  the  real 

1  Streets  not  to  be  laid  out  -or  passed  through,  unless  so  recommended  by 
Trustees  or  Directors  of  College,  Act,  March  24,  1832  (P.L.,  1831-32,  p.  176). 


WILL   OF   STEPHEN    GIRARD.  153 

estate  therein  mentioned,  in  the  presence  of  us  who  at  his 
request  have  hereunto  subscribed  our  names  as  witnesses 
thereto  in  the  presence  of  the  said  testator  and  of  each 
other,  June  20,  1831. 

S.  H.  CARPENTER, 
L.  BARDIN, 
SAML  ARTHUR. 

Acts  of  Assembly  to  enable  the  City  to  carry  the  Will 
into  effect  were  approved — 

March  24,  1832  (P.L.,  1831-32,  p.  176); 
April  4,  1832  (P.L.,  1831-32,  p.  275); 
February  27,  1847  (P-L.,  1847,  P- 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:  ITS  ORGANIZATION 
AND   ADMINISTRATION 

BY   WILLIAM   H.  ZELLER,  '72. 


Four  distinct  periods  divide  the  record  of  the  adminis- 
tration and  the  government  of  Girard  College  between  the 
years  1832  and  1898.  The  first  continued  from  1832  to 
1847,  under  the  direction  of  a  Board  of  Directors  of  Gi- 
rard Trusts;  the  second  from  1847  to  I^56,  under  the 
administration  of  a  Board  of  Directors;  the  third  from 
1856  to  1870,  under  the  supervision  of  a  Board  of  Direc- 
tors elected  by  the  Councils  of  the  consolidated  city  of 
Philadelphia,  and  the  fourth,  from  1870  to  date,  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts  as 
now  constituted. 

Doubt  and  uncertainty  seem  to  have  been  in  the  public 
mind  concerning  the  intentions  of  Mr.  Girard  as  expressed 
in  his  last  will  and  testament. 

Probably  none  beyond  the  executors,  and  the  eminent 
attorney  who  assisted  in  the  preparation  of  the  will,  were 
acquainted  with  the  plan  Mr.  Girard  had  in  view  for  the 
establishment  of  his  great  charity.  The  knowledge  of  his 
intentions  in  disposing  of  his  vast  fortune  was  apparently 
but  vaguely  understood  or  appreciated  even  by  these,  and 
the  first  practical  steps  for  executing  the  terms  of  the  be- 
quest were  not  taken  by  the  Councils  of  the  city  of  Phila- 
delphia until  January  3!,  1833. 
154 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:  ITS  ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION.   155 

The  will  had  been  signed  on  February  16,  1830,  and  the 
codicil  changing  the  location  of  the  College  from  the 
block  bounded  by  High  (Market),  Chestnut,  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  Streets  to  Peel  Hall,  on  the  Ridge  Road  in  Penn 
Township,  was  added  June  20,  1831.  Letters  testamen- 
tary were  granted  December  31,  1831. 

On  January  9,  1832,  the  Councils  of  the  city  passed  a 
resolution  appointing  a  committee  of  five  to  report  what 
measures  should  be  taken  to  execute  the  trusts  created  by 
Mr.  Girard.  The  Committee  made  a  number  of  reports, 
and  on  October  i,  1832,  submitted  an  ordinance  creating 
the  Commissioners  of  the  Girard  Trusts.  This  ordinance 
was  amended  on  December  13,  1832,  and  a  Board  of 
Trustees,  with  Nicholas  Biddle  as  Chairman,  was  elected 
on  February  n,  1833.  Under  a  resolution  adopted  by 
Councils  on  June  8, 1832,  a  committee  of  six  was  appointed 
to  advertise  for  plans  for  the  College  buildings.  No  haste 
seems  to  have  marked  the  labors  of  this  Committee,  for 
it  was  not  until  the  joint  meeting  of  the  Building  Com- 
mittee and  the  Board  of  Directors  in  April,  1833,  that  final 
action  was  taken  upon  this  subject. 

Throughout  the  year  1832  nothing  was  accomplished 
to  determine  some  definite  plan  to  make  the  provisions 
of  the  will  practicable  and  operative.  This  seeming  in- 
activity of  the  executors  was  a  subject  of  irritation  in  the 
public  mind,  but  the  intricate  situation  was  finally  solved, 
and  public  interest  gratified,  by  a  statement  made  in  De- 
cember, 1832,  that  the  executors  were  ready  to  suggest  a 
preliminary  stage  for  legislation  by  Councils. 

While  matters  had  proceeded  heretofore  in  no  spirit  of 
haste,  as  the  executors  of  the  will  doubtless  believed  in 
cautious  measures  for  the  interpretation  of  each  provision, 


156  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

a  contrary  course  now  appears  to  have  governed  the 
authorities.  The  Joint  Committee  met  for  the  first  time 
on  April  5,  1833,  followed,  after  organization,  by  a  second 
meeting  on  April  18,  at  which  time  the  architect  was  in- 
structed to  submit  plans  for  the  Main  Building.  That  these 
plans  were  prepared  with  great  speed  is  demonstrated  by 
the  fact  that  they  were  adopted  on  April  29,  eleven  days 
after  the  organization  of  the  two  bodies  constituting  the 
controlling  power.  This  exceptional  process  in  deter- 
mining a  proceeding  so  momentous,  as  the  preparation 
and  submission  of  plans  for  the  construction  of  the  Main 
Building,  was  mentioned  by  Mr.  Thomas  U.  Walter, 
the  architect,  in  his  yearly  reports  as  an  error,  and  as 
the  cause  of  much  contention  and  complication  in  the 
progress  of  the  work.  It  was,  however,  in  accordance 
with  the  feverish  condition  of  the  public  mind.  Every- 
body demanded  the  rapid  fulfilment  of  the  design  of  Mr. 
Girard. 

With  the  submission  of  the  architect's  plans  on  April 
29  came  the  excavations  for  the  foundations  begun  on  May 
6,  and  on  July  4,  1833,  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone. 
November  13,  1847,  marked  the  period  of  the  conclusion 
of  the  labors  of  the  Building  Committee,  just  fourteen 
years  and  six  months  after  it  had  been  called  into  exist- 
ence, and  the  final  report  of  this  Committee  was  made,  on 
that  date,  through  John  C.  Davis,  Chairman,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  ordinance  of  Councils  passed  on  September 
1 6,  directing  the  Committee  to  give  possession  of  the 
College  to  the  Directors. 

The  Trustees  had  been  anxious  that  some  part  of  the 
Estate  should  be  devoted  to  the  purposes  of  the  Founder 
as  soon  as  possible.  In  1836  Alexander  Dallas  Bache  had 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:  ITS  ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION.  157 

been  elected  President,  and  in  1838  they  endeavored  to 
open  a  part  of  the  College  to  meet  the  purposes  of  the 
will;  but  eminent  legal  authority,  in  John  Sergeant  and 
Horace  Binney,  gave  an  opinion  that  no  part  of  the 
grounds  could  be  opened  until  the  buildings  were  entirely 
completed. 

The  organization  of  the  College  was  begun  by  the  adop- 
tion of  an  ordinance  of  Councils  on  May  27,  1847,  author- 
izing the  election  of  a  Board  of  Directors  of  sixteen  per- 
sons, who  governed  the  College  from  November,  1847, 
until  June,  1856,  when  by  another  ordinance  of  Councils 
the  system  was  changed  to  conform  with  the  Act  of  Con- 
solidation of  the  city  passed  in  1854.  An  ordinance  passed 
November  9,  1848,  constituted  Councils  a  standing  Com- 
mittee of  Visitation. 

During  the  nine  years  of  the  existence  of  the  first  Board 
of  Directors  there  were  thirty-nine  members, — changes 
being  frequent,  not  a  few  serving  but  a  year  and  some 
only  a  few  months.  The  only  surviving  member  of  this 
Board  is  Mr.  Frederick  Fraley.  The  ordinance  of  June, 
1856,  changed  the  system  of  government  of  the  College 
to  conform  to  the  Act  of  Consolidation,  and  the  Board  of 
Directors  was  increased  to  eighteen  members.  Under  it 
the  first  Board  was  chosen  in  June,  1856,  and  organized 
with  William  Biddle  as  President.  So  far  as  known,  the 
only  survivors  of  this  Board — a  total  of  sixty-nine  mem- 
bers from  1856  to  1869,  when  the  Board  of  Directors  of 
City  Trusts  assumed  control  under  Act  of  Assembly  ap- 
proved June  30,  1869 — are: 

HENRY  C.  CORFIELD  JOSEPH  R.  RHOADS 

WILLIAM  C.  HAINES  AUGUST  HEATON 

ROBERT  T.  GILL  WILLIAM  E.  LITTLETON 


158  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

Mr.  Littleton  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the  only 
member  of  the  Girard  College  Alumni  ever  serving  as  a 
Director. 

The  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts  was  created  by 
an  Act  of  the  Legislature  amending  the  charter  of  the 
city  of  Philadelphia,  approved  June  30,  1869. 

Frequent  changes  in  the  city  Councils  had  given  a  more 
or  less  partisan  character  to  the  various  appointments  to 
the  old  Board  of  Directors,  and  the  difficulty  of  securing 
appropriations  commensurate  with  the  needs  of  the  Insti- 
tution, together  with  what  has  been  charged  as  indiffer- 
ence to  the  future  of  the  several  trusts,  led  to  statements 
of  neglect  and  charges  of  the  existence  of  abuse  in  their 
administration.  It  was  considered  best  to  secure  legisla- 
tive action,  and  to  remove  the  care  of  the  College,  and  of 
the  several  trusts,  from  the  superintendence  of  the  city 
Councils  by  creating  a  new  department;  and  these  changes 
introduce  the  fourth  period  of  government, — the  present 
system,  now  entering  upon  its  twenty-ninth  year.  That 
the  wisdom  of  the  advocates  of  this  change  has  been  abun- 
dantly proven  and  justified  is  evidenced  by  an  increase  in 
the  value  of  the  Girard  Estate  and  of  the  other  trusts 
more  than  fourfold. 

The  appointments  to  this  Board  were  made  by  the 
Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Commonwealth,  to- 
gether with  the  Judges  of  the  District  Court  and  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  the  City  and  County  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  on  September  2,  1869,  J.  Ross  Snowden, 
Prothonotary  of  the  Supreme  Court,  notified  the  mem- 
bers of  the  original  Board  of  their  appointment, — the 
Mayor  of  the  city  and  the  Presidents  of  Select  and  Com- 
mon Councils  being  members  for  the  terms  of  their  office, 
and  the  twelve  citizens  during  good  behavior. 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:  ITS  ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION.  159 

The  Board  organized  September  13,  1869,  by  the  elec- 
tion of  William  Welsh  as  President.  Being  informed  that 
on  July  8,  1869,  the  Councils  of  the  city  had  instructed 
the  officers  superintending  the  various  charities  not  to 
acknowledge  the  new  authority,  nor  to  transfer  to  it  any 
of  the  property  of  the  trusts,  to  test  the  constitutionality 
of  the  law  creating  this  Board,  a  Committee,  consisting 
of  Edward  King,  James  L*  Claghorn,  John  H.  Michener, 
and  William  Welsh,  was  appointed  to  take  whatever  meas- 
ures might  be  necessary  to  make  the  law  operative.  The 
city  having  employed  William  M.  Meredith,  Franklin  B. 
Gowan,  Edward  Omstead,  and  John  Goforth  as  their 
counsel  to  contest  the  law,  this  Committee  employed 
William  Strong,  Peter  McCall,  and  John  Fallen  to  repre- 
sent the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts. 

An  early  hearing  before  the  Supreme  Court  was  had, 
and  on  February  17,  1870,  Justice  Sharswood  delivered 
the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  Court  confirming  the  va- 
lidity of  the  law.  The  city  failing  to  comply  with  the  de- 
cision of  the  Court,  F.  Carroll  Brewster,  the  permanent 
counsel  of  the  Board,  applied  for  a  writ  directing  obedi- 
ence to  the  decision.  This  writ  having  been  granted,  the 
city  withdrew  its  opposition,  and  the  Board  assumed  con- 
trol, taking  possession  of  all  the  property  on  February  25, 
1870,  and  appointing  the  necessary  committees  to  ascer- 
tain the  condition  of  the  various  trusts  and  to  determine 
the  best  plan  for  their  administration. 

One  of  the  earliest  difficulties  experienced  was  the  ab- 
sence of  a  condensed  statement  of  the  various  trusts 
(which  in  1870  were  twenty-nine  in  number,  six  having 
been  added  since  that  year),  and  a  Committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  prepare  a  history  of  them. 


l6o  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

From  the  beginning,  those  in  control  of  the  adminis- 
tration and  government  of  the  College  have  been  repre- 
sentative men  of  the  city  who  had  won  public  confidence, 
and  attained  public  honors,  by  their  integrity  of  character; 
but  it  is  a  matter  of  more  than  passing  note  that  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  City  Trusts  has,  by  its  purity  of  business 
methods  and  its  clearness  of  business  judgment,  wrought 
out  a  stewardship  without  parallel  in  the  history  of  any 
similar  body. 

The  uncertain  tenure  of  the  term  of  office  common  to 
the  Directorate  in  the  periods  from  1833  to  1869  inter- 
fered materially  with  the  success  of  the  great  plan  so  won- 
derfully outlined  by  Mr.  Girard  in  his  will.  The  question 
of  partisan  preferment  naturally  entered  into  the  action 
of  Councils  and  in  the  selection  for  members  of  the  trust, 
and  continually  led  to  complications  and  indecisions  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  work  on  the  buildings,  and  later  in 
the  carrying  forward  of  the  course  of  instruction  and  of 
the  affairs  of  the  household  of  the  College.  Under  such 
ephemeral  conditions  and  with  this  environment  of  in- 
stability of  system  and  of  methods,  the  situation  demanded 
a  change,  which  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  in  its 
prerogative,  made  by  the  creation  of  the  present  board  of 
administration. 

The  membership  of  the  several  bodies  comprising  the 
administrative  and  governing  power  of  the  Girard  Estate 
and  of  Girard  College  from  the  year  1832  to  the  year  1898 
is  given  in  the  annexed  statement: 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:  ITS  ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION.   161 


COMMISSIONERS  FOR  THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  THE  GIRARD 

TRUSTS. 

( Under    Ordinance   of    Councils  passed   September  15,    1832.     Appointed  by 
Councils,     October   i,    1832.} 

JAMES  PAGE  JOSHUA  LIPPINCOTT 

WILLIAM  E.  LEHMAN  ROBERTS  VAUX 

THOMAS  DUNLAP  MICHAEL  BAKER 

JOHN  M.  HOOD  JOSEPH  WORRELL 
JOHN  Moss 

BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  GIRARD  TRUSTS. 

( Under  Amended  Ordinance   of  Councils,   December   13,   1832.    Elected  by 
Councils,    February  n,    1833.} 

NICHOLAS  BIDDLE  JOSEPH  MC!LVAIN 

WILLIAM  H.  KEATING  WILLIAM  M.  MEREDITH 

ALGERNON  S.  ROBERTS  DR.  THOMAS  McEuEN 

CHARLES  BIRD  BENJAMIN  W.  RICHARDS 

DR.  JOHN  M.  KEAGY  THOMAS  DUNLAP 

DR.  GEORGE  B.  WOOD  GEORGE  W.  TOLAND 

RICHARD  PRICE  JOHN  STEELE 
JOHN  C.  STOCKER 

BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 

(  Under  Ordinance,  January  31,  1833.  Elected  by  Councils,  March  28,  1833.} 

NICHOLAS  BIDDLE  DR.  THOMAS  McEuEN 

BENJAMIN  W.  RICHARDS  THOMAS  DUNLAP 

JOHN  STEELE  WILLIAM  M.  MEREDITH 

JOSEPH  MclLVAiNE  RICHARD  PRICE 

LATER    APPOINTMENTS   WERE  : 

GEORGE  B.  WOOD  HENRY  TROTH 

ALGERNON  S.  ROBERTS  CHARLES  BIRD 

SAMUEL  V.  MERRICK  GEORGE  W.  TOLAND 

WILLIAM  W.  HALY  JOHN  K.  KANE 

MATTHIAS  W.  BALDWIN  JOHN  B.  ELLISON 

CHARLES  D.  MEIGS  JOSIAH  RANDALL 

HENRY  TROTH  WILLIAM  S.  PEROT 

JOHN  SWIFT  WILLIAM  D.  BRINCKLE 
JOSEPH  R.  INGERSOLL 


1 62  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


THE  BUILDING  COMMITTEE. 

(Under  Ordinance  of  Councils,  January  31, 

JOHN  GILDER,  Chairman  GEORGE  SHARSWOOD 

JOSHUA  LIPPINCOTT  JAMES  ANDREWS 

DENNIS  MCCREDY  SAMUEL  W.  WEER 

JOHN  BYERLY  WILLIAM  MORRIS 

JOHN  R.  NEFF  JAMES  Y.  HUMPHREYS 

JOSEPH  WORRELL  JOHN  C.  DAVIS 

SAMUEL  V.  MERRICK  JAMES  ROWLAND 

EPHRAIM  HAINS  MATTHEW  NEWKIRK 

JAMES  BURK  JOHN  PRICE  WETHERILL 

PETER  WRIGHT  JAMES  J.  BOSWELL 

JOHN  M.  BARCLAY  JACOB  E.  HAGERT 

ISAAC  ROACH  GIDEON  SCULL 

HENRY  SAILOR  PETER  MC€ALL 

ISAAC  OTIS  JAMES  LESLIE 

WILLIAM  V.  ANDERSON  ISAAC  BARTON 

JOHN  WEIGAND  JOHN  AGNEW 

ISAAC  ELLIOTT  ALGERNON  S.  ROBERTS 

JOHN  S.  WARNER  JOHN  RODMAN  PAUL 

CORNELIUS  TIERS  JACOB  AMOS 

JOHN  LINDSAY  ROBERT  HUTCHINSON 

DAVID  WlNEBRENER  WlLLIAM  W.  HALY 

JAMES  HUTCHINSON  JOSEPH  B.  SMITH 

BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  GIRARD   COLLEGE,   1847-1856. 
(Elected  under  Ordinance  of  City  Councils,  May  27,  1847,  providing  for  six- 
teen members.'] 

WILLIAM  BIDDLE  GEORGE  W.  TOLAND 

JAMES  J.  BOSWELL  THOMAS  U.  WALTER 

THOMAS  P.  COPE  JOHN  WEIGAND 

MORDECAI  L.  DAWSON  JOSEPH  R.  CHANDLER 

WILLIAM  J.  DUANE  JAMES  ROWLAND 

FREDERICK  FRALEY  JOSEPH  COWPERTHWAIT 

CHARLES  GILPIN  JOSEPH  G.  CLARKSON 

ALEXANDER  HENRY  WILLIAM  WELSH 

SAUNDERS  LEWIS  JAMES  HUTCHINSON 

E.  JOY  MORRIS  JAMES  R.  GEMMILL 

SAMUEL  NORRIS  THOMAS  G.  HOLLINGSWORTH 

JOHN  RODMAN  PAUL  WILLIAM  MARTIN 

SAMUEL  H.  PERKINS  ARTHUR  G.  COFFIN 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:  ITS  ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION.  163 


FREDERICK  A.  PACKARD 
ALGERNON  S.  ROBERTS 
EDWARD  Y.  FARQUHAR 
THOMAS  ROBINS 
DR.  ALFRED  E.  ELWYN 
THOMAS  J.  PERKINS 
CHARLES  A.  POULSON 


JOHN  YARROW 
JOHN  W.  RYAN 
WILLIAM  S.  SMITH. 
FRANCIS  B.  WARNER 
JOHN  U.  GILLER 
WILLIAM  MARTIN 


BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  GIRARD  COLLEGE,   1856-1869. 


{Elected  under  Ordinance 

WILLIAM  BIDDLE 
MORDECAI  L.  DAWSON 
WILLIAM  J.  DUANE 
HENRY  D.  GILPIN 
DANIEL  DEAL 
WILLIAM  H.  HAMILTON 
JAMES  MARTIN 
WILLIAM  MARTIN 
DR.  WILLIAM  MAYBURRY 
DR.  GEORGE  W.  NEBINGER 
FREDERICK  A.  PACKARD 
HENRY  M.  PHILLIPS 
THOMAS  ROBINS 
JOHN  ROBBINS,  JR. 
THOMAS  S.  STEWART 
JAMES  S.  WATSON 
WILLIAM  WELSH 
SAMUEL  H.  PERKINS 
JAMES  J.  BOSWELL 
GEORGE  C.  BOWER,  JR. 
ALEXANDER  BROWN 
JAMES  CAMPBELL 
WILLIAM  H.  DRAYTON 
SAMUEL  FLOOD 
DANIEL  M.  Fox 
THOMAS  E.  HARKINS 
ROBERT  SELFRIDGE 
RICHARD  VAUX 
CHARLES  R.  TREGO 
AUGUSTUS  HEATON 


of  City   Councils,  June   79,    1856,  providing  foi 
eighteen  members.} 

DR.  CHARLES  M.  JACKSON 
ALBERT  C.  ROBERTS 
E.  HARPER  JEFFRIES 
MORTON  MCMICHAEL 
HENRY  C.  CORFIELD 
ROBERT  M.  FOUST 
DR.  HENRY  YALE  SMITH 
JAMES  PETERS 
JOHN  H.  BRINGHURST 
WILLIAM  DIVINE 
JOHN  O.  JAMES 
WILLIAM  BRADFORD 
DR.  WILLIAM  W.  BURNELL 
JOHN  FEST 
FRANCIS  P.  MAGEE 
LUTHER  MARTIN 
GUSTAVUS  REMAK 
WILLIAM  H.  KEICHLINE 
DR.  JOSEPH  SITES 
JOHN  M.  BUTLER 
CHARLES  E.  LEX 
ROBERT  T.  GILL 
CHRISTIAN  J.  HOFFMAN 
HORATIO  GATES  JONES 
JOSEPH  MOORE 
THOMAS  M.  COLEMAN 
JOHN  FRY 
WILLIAM  C.  HAINES 
CYRUS  HORNE 
GEORGE  REMSEN 


164  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


JOSEPH  R.  RHOADS  THOMAS  B.  REEVES 

HENRY  SIMONS  ENOCH  TAYLOR 

EDWARD  BAINS  ROBERT  P.  GILLINGHAM 

THORNTON  CONROW  WILLIAM  E.  LITTLETON 

GEORGE  TRUMAN,  JR.  ALGERNON  S.  ROBERTS 

PRESIDENTS   OF   THE  BOARD   OF    DIRECTORS   OF  GIRARD 

COLLEGE. 

JOSEPH  R.  CHANDLER  RICHARD  VAUX 

FREDERICK  FRALEY  CHARLES  E.  LEX 

SAMUEL  NORRIS  ROBERT  M.  FOUST 

SAMUEL  H.  PERKINS  AUGUSTUS  HEATON 
MORTON  MCMICHAEL 


THE  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  CITY  TRUSTS. 


PRESIDENTS  OF   THE   BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  CITY  TRUSTS. 

WILLIAM  WELSH  W.  HEYWARD  DRAYTON 

HENRY  M.  PHILLIPS  Louis  WAGNER 

ALEXANDER  BIDDLE 

MEMBERS   OF   THE   ORIGINAL   BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  CITY 
TRUSTS,   APPOINTED  SEPTEMBER  2,   1869. 

GUSTAVUS  S.  BENSON Died  March  22,  1883. 

ALEXANDER  BIDDLE Resigned  Jan.  12,  1885. 

JAMES  CAMPBELL Died  Jan.  27,  1893. 

JAMES  L.  CLAGHORN      Died  Aug.  25,  1884. 

CHARLES  H.  T.  COLLIS Resigned  June  n,  1884. 

J.  GILLINGHAM  FELL Resigned  Sept.  9,  1874. 

EDWARD  KING Resigned  Feb.  14,  1872. 

WILLIAM  B.  MANN Died  Oct.  17,  1896. 

JOHN  H.  MICHENER 

HENRY  M.  PHILLIPS Died  Aug.  28,  1884. 

GEORGE  H.  STUART Died  April  n,  1890. 

WILLIAM  WELSH Died  Feb.  n,  1878. 

"EX-OFFICIO"  MEMBERS. 

DANIEL  M.  Fox,  Mayor Term  expired  Jan.  I,  1872. 

SAMUEL  W.  CATTELL,  President  Select  Council    .    .  Term  expired  Jan.  I,  1872. 
Louis  WAGNER,  President  Common  Council ....  Term  expired  Jan.  2,  1871. 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:  ITS  ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION.  165 


APPOINTMENTS  ON  BOARD  OF  DIRECTORS  OF  CITY  TRUSTS 
SUBSEQUENT  TO  SEPTEMBER  2,  1869. 

Appointed. 
W.  HEYWARD  DRAYTON     ....  Feb.      14,  1872.     Died  Oct.  9,  1892. 

Louis  WAGNER Jan.        4,  1875. 

GEORGE  L.  GARRISON March  18,  1878.     Resigned  Dec.  17,  1881. 

BENJAMIN  B.  COMEGYS Jan.        7,  1882. 

JOSEPH  L.  CAVEN March  31,  1883. 

WILLIAM  L.  ELKINS Oct.        6,  1884. 

JAMES  SIMPSON,  M.D Oct.        6,  1884.     Resigned  March  5,  1888. 

RICHARD  VAUX Oct.        6,  1884.     Died  March  22,  1895. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  RAWLE    ....  Jan.      12,  1885.     Died  April  19,  1889. 
ALEXANDER  BIDDLE  (reappointed)  April      2,  1888. 

JOHN  H.  CONVERSE June       3,  1889. 

EDWARD  S.  BUCKLEY June       2,  1890. 

JOHN  K.  CUMING Dec.       5,  1892. 

DALLAS  SANDERS March    6,  1893. 

JOHN  MARIE  CAMPBELL     ....  April     15,  1895. 
EDWIN  S.  STUART Dec.       7,  1896. 

«  EX-OFFICIO"  MEMBERS. 

MAYORS. 

WILLIAM  S.  STOKLEY Jan.  i,  1872,  to  April  4,1881. 

SAMUEL  G.  KING April  4,  1881,  to  April  7,  1884. 

WILLIAM  B.  SMITH April  7,  1884,  to  April  4,  1887. 

EDWIN  H.  FITLER April  4,  1887,  to  April  6,  1891. 

EDWIN  S.  STUART  . April  6,  1891,  to  April  1,1895. 

CHARLES  F.  WARWICK April  i,  1895. 

PRESIDENTS    OF   SELECT    COUNCIL. 

WM.  E.  LITTLETON Jan.  i,  1872,  to  Jan.  5,  1874. 

*  ROBERT  W.  DOWNING Jan.  5,  1874,  to  July  8,1875. 

W.  W.  BURNELL,  M.D July  8,  1875,  to  Jan.  3,  1876. 

*  GEORGE  A.  SMITH Jan.  3,  1876,  to  Nov.  3,1881. 

GEORGE  W.  BUMM Nov.  3,  1881,  to  April  3,1882. 

WILLIAM  B.  SMITH April  3,  1882,  to  April  7,1884. 

JAMES  R.  GATES April  7,  1884,  to  April  3,1893. 

JAMES  L.  MILES      April  3,  1893. 


*  Resigned. 
II 


1 66  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


PRESIDENTS   OF   COMMON   COUNCIL. 

*  HENRY  HUHN Jan.       2,  1871,  to  Feb.  15,1872. 

Louis  WAGNER Feb.    15,  1872,  to  Jan.  6,1873. 

A.  W.  HENSZEY Jan.       6,  1873,  to  Jan-  3>  1876. 

JOSEPH  L.  CAVEN Jan.       3,  1876,  to  April  4,  1881. 

WILLIAM  H.  LEX April    4,  1881,  to  April  7,  1884. 

CHARLES  LAWRENCE April    7,  1884,  to  April  2,  1888. 

f  WILLIAM  M.  SMITH April    2,  1888,  to  May  4,1892. 

WENCEL  HARTMAN May    12,1892. 

The  total  number  of  Directors  has  been  ninety-eight, 
but  ten  of  these  were  elected  to  more  than  one  term  not 
consecutive;  the  longest  term  of  service  has  been  nineteen 
years,  the  shortest  term,  one  year,  and  the  average  term, 
four  years. 

The  total  number  of  Directors  of  the  City  Trusts,  not 
including  members  ex  ofhcio,  has  been  twenty-eight;  the 
longest  term  of  service  has  been  twenty-eight  years,  the 
shortest  term,  two  years,  and  the  average  term,  twelve 
years. 

Mr.  John  H.  Michener  is  the  only  member  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  City  Trusts  appointed  on  September  2, 
1869,  who  has  served  continuously  since  that  time. 

Colonel  Alexander  Biddle  resigned  in  January  12,  1885, 
and  was  reappointed  April  2,  1888. 

General  Louis  Wagner,  who,  as  President  of  Common 
Council  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  was  ex  officio  a  member 
of  the  Board  from  1869  to  1873,  had  also  served  from  1867 
to  1869  as  a  member  of  Councils  Committee  on  the  Girard 
Estates. 

Mr.  Joseph  L.  Caven  and  Mr.  Edwin  S.  Stuart  had  been 
ex  officio  members  of  the  Board,  as  President  of  Common 
Council  and  as  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia  respec- 
tively, before  their  appointment  as  permanent  members. 

*  Resigned.  f  Died. 


GIRARD    COLLEGE:    ITS    ENDOWMENT   AND 
MAINTENANCE,  1831-1898 

BY  GEORGE  E.  KIRKPATRICK, 
Superintendent,  Girard  Estate. 


When,  on  December  26,  1831,  Stephen  Girard  died,  he 
was  said  to  be  the  wealthiest  man  in  America.  His  estate, 
consisting  largely  of  realty,  much  of  it  unimproved  and  un- 
developed, was  difficult  to  value.  In  a  pamphlet  pub- 
lished shortly  after  his  death  by  direction  of  the  Councils 
of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  it  was  estimated  at  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  millions  of  dollars;  but  it  was  probably  worth 
between  five  and  seven  millions. 

In  compliance  with  the  directions  given  in  the  will, 
$96,000  was  distributed  in  private  charities;  $140,000  and 
certain  real  estate  in  France  were  given  to  the  relatives  of 
Mr.  Girard,  and  a  number  of  bequests  were  paid  to  his  em- 
ployes. Certain  interests  and  remainders  in  real  and  per- 
sonal property  located  near  Washita,  in  the  State  of 
Louisiana,  were  willed  to  the  city  of  New  Orleans  for  pub- 
lic improvements.  The  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania 
received  $300,000,  to  be  expended  in  internal  improve- 
ments, and  the  remainder  of  his  estate  was  devised  to  the 
city  of  Philadelphia  in  trust  for  the  following  charitable 
uses: 

167 


l68  SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


For  school  purposes  in  the  first  School  District  of  Pennsylvania    .       $10,000  oo 

For  the  distribution  of  fuel  among  the  poor  of  the  City  of  Phila- 
delphia             10,000  oo 

For  the  improvement  of  the  Eastern  Front  of  the  City  of  Phila- 
delphia          500,000  oo 

For  the  erection  of  the  Girard  College  Buildings,  the  necessary 

land  worth  probably 10,000  oo 

and  a  sum  of      2,000,000  oo 

For  the  maintenance  of  the  Girard  College,  the  entire  residue  of 

the  Estate,  probably  then  worth 3,250,000  oo 

$5,780,000  oo 


On  April  20,  1833,  the  following  securities  were  set  aside 
as  the  fund  for  the  erection  of  the  Girard  College  build- 
ings: 

Stock  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  6,331  shares,  valued  at  .  $664,715  oo 
Five  per  cent.  Loan  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania, 

$1,069,305,  valued  at 1,221,785  oo 

Five  per  cent.  Loan  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia,  $100,000,  valued 

at 113,500  oo 

Total $2,000,000  oo 


At  this  time  the  stock  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States 
was  paying  a  dividend  of  seven  per  cent,  per  annum,  and 
both  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  city  of 
Philadelphia  were  promptly  paying  the  interest  on  their 
bonds;  and  it  was  hoped  that,  as  considerable  time  would 
be  required  to  erect  the  buildings,  the  income  received 
from  these  securities  would  be  sufficient  to  pay  a  large 
portion  of  the  cost  of  erection,  leaving  a  correspondingly 
large  portion  of  the  principal  remain  to  increase  the  en- 
dowment fund. 

The  plan  of  the  buildings  designed  by  Mr.  Thomas  U. 
Walter,  the  architect,  was  adopted  by  the  Councils  of  the 
city  of  Philadelphia  on  April  29,  1833.  Work  was  begun 
on  May  6,  1833,  and  the  corner-stone  of  the  Main  Building 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:    ITS  ENDOWMENT  AND  MAINTENANCE.   169 

was  laid  on  July  4  of  the  same  year.  The  work  progressed 
favorably  until  1839,  when  the  income  of  the  building 
fund  was  greatly  reduced  by  the  financial  panic  and  dis- 
aster which  had  swept  over  the  country.  The  Bank  of  the 
United  States  had  failed.  Interest  on  the  bonds  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  was  paid  in  six  per  cent. 
bonds,  which  sold  for  less  than  fifty  cents  on  the  dollar, 
or  later  in  "  relief  notes,"  which  also  sold  at  a  heavy  dis- 
count. The  fund  for  the  erection  of  the  College  buildings 
suffered  greatly  from  these  causes.  The  income,  out  of 
which  it  was  expected  to  pay  for  the  erection,  was  cut  off 
or  reduced  to  a  comparatively  small  sum.  To  continue 
the  work  of  erection,  it  was  necessary  either  to  sell  a  por- 
tion of  the  principal  of  the  fund  or  to  greatly  reduce  the 
extent  of  the  work  undertaken. 

Under  the  financial  conditions  then  prevailing,  the  for- 
mer course  would  involve  serious  sacrifice,  which  it  was 
hoped  could  be  avoided  by  curtailing  the  work  until  the 
business  depression  should  pass,  and  from  1840  to  1844 
the  erection  of  the  buildings  made  slow  progress. 

This  course,  however,  did  not  prevent  the  sacrifice  of  the 
invested  funds,  all  of  which  had  to  be  sold  at  such  prices  as 
could  be  obtained,  and  the  buildings  could  only  be  com- 
pleted by  encroaching  upon  the  Residuary  Fund. 

The  cash  realized  from  the  $2,000,000  building  fund  amounted  to  : 
Sale    of    Investments,    originally    valued    at 

$2,000,000    ..............  $1,099,186  70 

Interest  and  Dividends  collected  ......  851,146  98 

#i>95°>333  68 
The  cost  of  the  Buildings  was    .......      $1,933,821  78 

and  the  collateral  expenses     ......    .    .  49,624  21 

99 


Excess  of  expense    .....................    $33,112  31 


I7O  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

This  excess  of  expense  was  made  up  by 

Sales  of  Waste  Materials £1,587  20 

and  an  appropriation  from  the  Residuary  Fund  of         31*525  II 

to,  112  31 


After  the  payment  of  all  the  specific  bequests,  including 
with  these  the  amounts  willed  for  the  erection  of  the  Col- 
lege buildings  and  for  the  improvement  of  the  eastern 
front  of  the  city,  etc.,  there  remained  the  main  portion  of 
Mr.  Girard's  real  estate,  consisting  of  the  banking  house 
on  Third  Street,  a  number  of  stores,  warehouses,  dwell- 
ings, wharves  and  vacant  lots  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia; 
a  number  of  dwellings  and  over  six  hundred  acres  of  farm 
land  and  lots  in  Philadelphia  County;  seventy-three  tracts 
of  land  "  on  the  Mahanoy"  (Schuylkill  and  Columbia  Coun- 
ties, Pennsylvania)  containing  over  twenty-nine  thousand 
acres;  six  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Erie  County,  Penn- 
sylvania; four  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy-five 
acres  in  Hart  County,  Kentucky;  two  undivided  third 
parts  of  a  tract  of  land  in  Louisiana,  containing  two  hun- 
dred and  seven  thousand  acres,  and  stocks  and  bonds  with 
an  aggregate  par  value  of  $488,104.13. 

This  remainder  (called  the  Residuary  Fund)  was  de- 
voted by  Mr.  Girard's  will,  first  to  the  maintenance  and 
extension  of  Girard  College,  within  the  limits  of  the  desig- 
nated tract  of  land  on  Ridge  Road,  known  as  the  Peel 
Hall  farm;  and,  second,  for  city  purposes,  the  support  of 
a  police  force,  to  improve  city  property  and  the  general 
appearance  of  the  city,  and  to  diminish  the  burden  of  taxa- 
tion. 

Much  of  this  property  was  lost  to  the  fund.  The  real 
estate  acquired  after  the  last  republication  of  the  will  was 
recovered  by  Mr.  Girard'-s  heirs-at-law.  This  included  a 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:   ITS  ENDOWMENT  AND  MAINTENANCE.     171 

number  of  tracts  in  Schuylkill  County,  some  of  which  have 
since  proven  to  be  very  valuable  coal  land.  The  land  in 
Erie  County  and  in  Louisiana  was  lost  through  defective 
titles.  An  error  was  discovered  in  the  survey  of  the  land 
described  in  the  Kentucky  deeds,  and  a  large  portion  of 
this  property  was  thus  found  to  have  no  existence;  while 
the  value  of  the  stocks  and  bonds  was  in  time  found  to  be 
less  than  one-half  of  their  face. 

The  income  from  the  Residuary  Fund,  by  the  terms  of 
the  will  devoted  primarily  to  the  support  of  the  College, 
could  not  be  so  applied  until  the  buildings  were  completed. 
Because  of  this,  the  Councils  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
determined  that,  pending  the  completion  of  the  buildings, 
this  income  should  be  applied  toward  its  secondary  object, 
viz.,  city  purposes;  the  support  of  a  police  force,  improve- 
ment of  city  property  and  the  lightening  of  the  burden 
of  taxation.  In  this  manner,  $571,958.42  was  expended 
as  follows: 

Stores,  Wharf,  Dock,  etc.,  near  the  Schuylkill  River $18,000  oo 

Railroad  on  Broad  Street 6,028  55 

Culvert  at  Drawbridge  Dock 4,000  oo 

Paving  and  Repairing  Streets 64,971  45 

Rebuilding  Market-Houses  on  High  Street 20,000  oo 

Iron  Mains  for  the  Distribution  of  Water 23,000  oo 

Tobacco  Warehouse 7,000  oo 

Improvements  at  Fairmount 28,000  oo 

Lamp-Posts,  Lamps,  etc 20,950  oo 

Improvements  of  Public  Squares H,ooo  oo 

Repairing  Wharves 3>75°  °° 

Culverts 8,300  oo 

General  City  Purposes,  Police,  etc.  (not  specified) 303,208  42 

Diminishing  Taxation  and  Supplying  Deficiencies 53>75°  °° 

$571,958  42 


172  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

Upon  the  completion  of  the  College  buildings  and  the 
opening  of  the  Institution  on  January  i,  1848,  these  ex- 
penditures for  city  purposes  ceased,  and  since  that  time 
the  entire  net  income  of  the  Residuary  Fund  has  been  ap- 
plied toward  the  support  and  maintenance  of  the  Girard 
College. 

In  spite  of  all  its  losses  and  depreciations,  the  Residuary 
Fund  has  increased  until  to-day  it  may  safely  be  valued 
at  over  twenty  million  dollars,  exclusive  of  the  Girard  Col- 
lege grounds  and  buildings.  When  this  fund  was  received 
by  the  city,  its  income  amounted  to  between  sixty  and 
seventy  thousand  dollars  per  annum.  In  1848,  this  had 
increased  to  one  hundred  and  eighteen  thousand  dollars 
per  annum, — a  sum  ample,  after  deducting  the  expenses 
of  the  Estate,  to  support  the  Institution  with  the  number 
of  pupils  then  contemplated, — 300.  Up  to  this  time,  the 
growth  in  income  was  due  entirely  to  real  estate  in  the 
vicinity  of  Philadelphia,  which  in  1848  yielded  $109,742.38. 
As  this  property  has  become  more  valuable  and  as  build- 
ings have  been  erected  upon  the  vacant  lots,  or  new  build- 
ings have  taken  the  place  of  the  old  structures  which 
changing  conditions  had  made  unprofitable,  the  revenue 
derived  therefrom  has  continued  to  increase,  in  1897  being 
$415,044.18. 

The  most  important  of  these  building  improvements 
were: 

1858-9.  12  Dwellings  on  the  north  side  of  Brown  Street,  between  Fifth  and 
Sixth  Streets. 

1871-4.  43  Dwellings  on  Fifth,  Sixth  and  Marshall  Streets  between  Fairmount 
Avenue  and  Brown,  and  on  the  south  side  of  Brown  Street  be- 
tween Fifth  and  Sixth  Streets. 

1874.         The  Banking  House  and  Office  Building,  433-437  Chestnut  Street. 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:    ITS  ENDOWMENT  AND  MAINTENANCE.  173 


1886-7.     The  store  on  the  southwest  corner  of   Eleventh  and  Market  Streets 

(Nos.  1100-1114). 
1887-9.     The  row  of  stores  between  the  above  and  Twelfth  Street  (Nos.  1120- 

1142). 
1896-7.     The  Stephen  Girard  Building,  19-25  South  Twelfth  Street. 


Plans  for  the  erection  of  the  twenty-two  stores  and  fifty- 
six  dwellings  upon  the  block  between  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth,  Market  and  Chestnut  Streets,  were  under  con- 
sideration by  Mr.  Girard  for  some  time  before  his  death; 
the  actual  improvement  was  made  after  his  death  by  his 
executors,  and  not  by  the  city  as  trustee. 

The  income  from  Real  Estate  in  Schuylkill  and  Colum- 
bia Counties  amounted  to  little  prior  to  1863;  but  in  that 
year  the  mining  of  coal  upon  this  property  began,  the 
gross  receipts  being  $3,770.87.  These  receipts  have  in- 
creased from  year  to  year,  as  new  collieries  have  been 
opened  or  facilities  for  mining  improved,  and  in  1897 
amounted  to  $532,855.76. 

The  radical  difference  between  royalty  upon  coal  mined 
and  removed  from  the  property,  and  rental  where  the 
property  is  returned  at  the  end  of  the  lease  "  in  like  good 
order  and  condition"  does  not  seem  to  have  been  taken 
into  consideration  in  the  early  days  of  mining  on  the 
property  of  the  Girard  Estate;  but  in  1877  the  fact  that 
the  mining  pf  coal  is  a  depletion  of  the  realty,  was  recog- 
nized by  the  inauguration  of  a  policy  under  which  three- 
fourths  of  the  net  income  derived  from  this  source  has  been 
treated  as  principal  and  set  aside  for  investment.  Early  in 
1897,  this  policy  was  extended,  the  entire  net  income  being 
now  treated  as  capital. 

The  amount  of  the  cash  receipts  thus  set  aside  for  in- 
vestment, to  December  31,  1897,  is  $7,028,077.72,  and 


1/4  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

from  this  source  have  been  derived  the  funds  with  which 
to  make  the  recent  extensive  improvements  to  real 
estate  within  the  city,  and  to  increase  the  value  of  the 
investments  in  stocks  and  loans  from  $300,000,  in  1862, 
to  $4,750,000  on  December  31,  1897,  and  the  annual  in- 
come derived  therefrom,  from  $8,288.40  to  $230,516.25. 

By  his  will,  Mr.  Girard  charged  upon  his  real  estate  in 
the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania  a  number  of  annuities 
aggregating  $3,900  per  annum.  The  payment  of  these 
continued  until  1896,  when  the  last  annuitant  died,  and  the 
amount  thus  expended  was  $89,550.00. 

With  steadily  increasing  income  available  for  its  sup- 
port, the  Girard  College  has  been  enlarged,  in  the  number 
of  its  buildings,  from  five  to  nineteen,  and  in  their  value 
from  $2,000,000  to  $3,300,000;  while  the  number  of  pupils 
has  increased  from  300  to  1550. 

This  enlargement  began  in  1850,  when  Building  No.  5 
was  erected. 

The  other  more  important  improvements  in  buildings 
and  in  the  equipment  of  the  College  were  as  follows: 

1858.  Infirmary  Building  (No.  6). 

1876-77.  Building  No.  7. 

1876-77.  Chapel. 

1876-77.  East  Boiler  House,  Bakery,  Laundry. 

1877-78.  Heating  by  steam  from  a  central  plant. 

1 880-8 1.  Building  No.  8. 

1 880-8 1.  First  Extension  of  Infirmary  Building. 

1883-84.  West  Boiler  House. 

1883-84.  Mechanical  School  Building. 

1885-86.  Building  No.  9. 

1887.  Exterior  Electric  Lighting. 

1887-89.  Greenhouse. 

1889-90.  Building  No.  10. 

1889-90.  New  Laundry  and  Bakery. 

1894.  Interior  Electric  Lighting. 

1897.  Second  Extension  of  Infirmary  Building. 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:   ITS  ENDOWMENT  AND  MAINTENANCE.     175 


Summing  the  financial  transactions  of  the  Girard  Col- 
lege, and  of  the  Residuary  Fund,  from  the  death  of  Mr. 
Girard  until  December  31,  1897,  a  period  of  sixty-six  years 
(during  the  last  fifty  of  which  the  College  has  cared  for 
and  educated  nearly  6,000  orphan  boys),  we  have  in  round 
figures: 

Value   in    1831-35    of   the   Girard 
College  and  Residuary  Funds  : 

Real  Estate,  Philadelphia  City  and  County   .    .      $1,500,000 
Buildings  erected  at  Twelfth  and  Market  Streets 

by  the  Executors 750,000 

#2,250,000  oo 

Girard  College  Grounds 10,000  oo 

Real  Estate  outside  of  Philadelphia 500,000  oo 

Stocks  and  Bonds 2,500,000  oo 

$5,260,000  oo 

Increase  in  the  value  of  the  above 
property  (1831-1898)  : 

Real  Estate,  Philadelphia $2,550,000 

Girard  College  Grounds 1,690,000 

Real  Estate  outside  of  Philadelphia 

Converted  into  cash  and  invested  $7,000,000 

Unconverted 7,500,000 

14,500,000 

18,740,000  oo 

Net  income  collected  : 

Real  Estate,  Philadelphia $9,125,000 

Real  Estate  outside  of  Philadelphia  (exclusive 

of  amount  capitalized) 3,200,000 

Stocks  and  Bonds 3,700,000 

Miscellaneous  Sources 162,000 

16,187,000  oo 

$40,187,000  oo 
Decrease  in  value  of  Stocks  and  Bonds   .  .  .         1,250,000  oo 

#38,937.0°°  °° 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL   OF   GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


From  which  there  has  been  expended  for 

Annuities $90,000 

City  Purposes 572,000 

Girard  College  (maintenance) 11,350,000 

-  $12,012,000  oo 

And  there  remains  on  December  31, 1897  .    .  $26,925,00000 

Consisting  of 

Girard  College  Grounds     .    .    .      $1,700,000 
"  «'         Buildings  .    .    .        3,300,000 

$5,000,000 

Real  Estate  in  Philadelphia 9,000,000 

Real  Estate  outside  of  Philadelphia  ....         8,000,000 

Stocks  and  Bonds 4,900,000 

Cash 25,000 

-  $26,925,000  oo 


With  this  steady  growth  in  invested  principal  and  in  in- 
come, it  is  safe  to  predict  that  there  will  be  other  additions 
to  the  buildings  of  the  Girard  College  and  further  increase 
in  the  number  of  its  pupils,  until  the  capacity  of  the  Col- 
lege grounds  shall  have  been  reached,  and  that  thereafter 
large  amounts  of  surplus  revenue  will  be  available  "to 
diminish  the  burden  of  taxation"  upon  the  citizens  of 
Philadelphia. 


GIRARD   COLLEGE:    ITS  TRAINING  AND 
THE   RESULTS 

BY   JOHN  S.  BOYD,  M.D., 
Superintendent  of  Admission  and  Indentures. 


To  ascertain  the  results  of  the  magnificent  endowment 
of  Girard  College,  we  need  only  to  call  attention  to  the 
number  of  pupils  who,  within  its  walls,  have  shared  in  the 
training,  and  to  speak  of  their  present  success,  by  which 
they  show  what  this  training  has  produced. 

First,  as  to  the  condition  of  many  of  these  pupils  when 
they  enter:  They  are  between  the  ages  of  six  and  ten; 
some  of  them  commencing  without  the  simplest  rudiments 
of  education,  and  none  of  them  having  progressed  beyond 
what  can  be  obtained  in  the  lower  grades  of  elementary 
schools. 

During  six  or  more  years,  of  systematic  and  thorough 
instruction,  they  have  been  advanced  from  class  to  class, 
attention  being  paid  at  all  times  to  their  physical  health; 
and  they  have  received  a  careful  training  of  the  mind  and 
heart.  The  transformation  is  complete,  and  they  go  forth 
prepared  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  world  possessors 
of  "  mens  sana  in  corpore  sano." 

What  becomes  of  the  graduates  of  Girard  College? 

It  needed  for  an  answer  but  an  opportunity  to  gaze  at 

the  platoons  of  well-dressed  and  intelligent  young  men, 

177 


178  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

all  graduates  of  Girard  College,  marching  in  military  array 
past  the  City  Hall  on  the  occasion  of  the  unveiling  on  May 
20,  1897,  of  the  bronze  statue  of  their  benefactor. 

To  answer  this  question  in  an  official  manner,  it  was  de- 
cided by  the  Board  of  Directors  of  City  Trusts  and  the 
Alumni  to  collect  statistics  concerning  the  graduates  now 
living.  With  this  purpose  in  view,  the  Alumni  appointed 
a  special  committee  of  twenty-eight,  with  Mr.  Thomas  Orr 
as  Chairman,  and  Mr.  Frederick  Unrath  as  Secretary  (and 
to  Mr.  Unrath  much  of  the  credit  for  the  completeness  of 
their  report  is  due). 

In  reply  to  their  inquiries,  the  following  results  have 
been  obtained: 

Admitted  since  the  opening  of  the  College    .......    5899 

Died  in  the  College    .................       174 

5725 
Number  enrolled  December  31,  1897  ..........     1536 


Discharged,  and  to  be  accounted  for  ..... 

Number  reported  as  employed  .........  2073 

Number  reported  as  unemployed     .......  191 

Died  since  leaving  College    ..........  380 

Readmitted  .................  5 

In  other  institutions    .............  17 

No  report     .................  1523 


4189 


As  has  already  been  stated  in  the  Public  Ledger,  the 
pupils  enter  the  College  "at  a  tender  age  and  are  dis- 
charged at  the  age  of  eighteen,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to 
do  anything  more  than  prepare  them  for  a  college  educa- 
tion, or  for  work;  and  as  the  greater  number  of  graduates 
are  dependent  upon  themselves  for  support,  few  of  them 
obtain  any  other  education  than  that  given  within  the  Col- 
lege walls.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  is  not  to  be  ex- 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:    ITS  TRAINING  AND  THE  RESULTS.     179 

pected  that  the  roll  of  Alumni  should  exhibit  the  names 
of  men  of  letters,  such  as  may  be  found  in  the  list  of  gradu- 
ates of  universities;  but  it  is  largely  to  the  credit  of  the 
Institution  that,  substantially,  all  the  graduates  have  be- 
come good  citizens.  Some  among  the  number  have  risen 
to  high  position  in  the  professions,  using  the  elementary 
education  at  the  College  as  the  foundation  for  private 
studies.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  education  is  thorough 
so  far  as  it  goes,  and  that,  considering  the  age  of  the  pupils, 
Girard  College  deserves  to  rank  among  the  best  of  ele- 
mentary schools." 

When  boys  leave  school,  they  are,  of  necessity,  lacking 
in  the  ease  of  manner  and  the  knowledge  of  that  technical 
language  which  can  only  be  acquired  from  actual  associa- 
tion with  men  and  women  in  the  busy,  practical  world' 
about  them;  and  it  is  gratifying,  if  not  surprising,  to  note 
the  rapidity  with  which  Girard  College  boys  attain  that 
polish  of  address  and  familiarity  with  the  variety  of  details 
which  render  them  distinguishable  from  the  average  young 
men  of  business  with  whom  they  daily  come  in  contact. 
They  take  pride,  furthermore,  in  their  personal  appearance 
and  their  moral  reputation,  are  ambitious  to  advance  in 
the  positions  they  occupy;  and  with  reference  to  the  im- 
pression which  is  probably,  even  at  this  day,  extensively 
prevalent,  not  only  in  this  city  but  elsewhere,  in  regard  to 
the  neglect  of  religious  training  in  Girard  College,  the  best 
answer  that  we  can  make  is,  that  very  many  of  our  gradu- 
ates manifest  a  most  commendable  interest  and  zeal  in  re- 
ligious affairs.  They  are  also  disposed  to  establish  quite 
early  in  their  career  homes  of  their  own,  and  are  evidently 
deeply  attached  to  the  families  that  surround  their  hearth- 
stones. 


I  SO  SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 

Since  the  reports  which  have  been  received  from  former 
pupils  are,  in  the  majority  of  instances,  from  those  who 
have  been  more  recently  graduated,  it  is  but  reasonable  to 
assume  that  the  proportion,  in  a  complete  list,  of  those 
occupying  prominent  positions  in  professional  and  business 
life  is  even  greater  than  as  now  presented. 

Examining  in  detail  the  long  list  of  occupations  (more 
than  three  hundred  in  number)  in  which  these  graduates 
are  engaged,  we  find  that,  in  the  professions,  those  who 
have  been  admitted  to  the  bar  are  highest  in  number, 
eighteen,  while  four  are  enrolled  as  students  having  the 
same  purpose  in  view;  ten  are  clergymen  and  two  more 
are  students;  ten  are  physicians  and  surgeons  and  four  are 
students;  there  are  two  dentists  and  one  student;  there 
are  seven  druggists,  twelve  drug  clerks,  and  three  chemists; 
three  are  civil  engineers,  one  is  a  student  and  one  is  a  sur- 
veyor; five  are  architects  and  one  is  studying  in  the  same 
branch  of  art;  eleven  are  draughtsmen  and  four  are  con- 
tractors; there  are  four  notaries  public,  two  of  whom  are 
conveyancers;  five  are  teachers,  five  prefects,  and  twenty 
are  students.  In  banking  and  kindred  pursuits  there  are 
two  bankers  and  brokers,  three  assistant  cashiers  of  banks, 
two  bank  tellers;  five  treasurers  and  four  with  the  title  of 
secretary  and  treasurer,  and  eighteen  are  connected  with 
the  insurance  business.  The  list  of  bank  and  railroad 
clerks  is  very  large,  but  they  are  embraced  in  a  general 
class  as  clerks  or  bookkeepers,  which  reaches  the  large 
total  of  four  hundred  and  eighty.  There  are  seventy-seven 
stenographers,  eighty  salesmen,  two  paymasters,  and  six 
cashiers.  Five  are  auditors,  twelve  are  in  the  real  estate 
business,  ten  are  superintendents  or  assistant  superinten- 


GIRARD  COLLEGE:   ITS  TRAINING  AND  THE  RESULTS.     181 

dents,  fifteen  are  inspectors  and  thirty-three  are  mana'gers 
in  various  industries.  Mining  and  railroads  have  their 
representatives,  nine  are  journalists,  two  publishers,  and 
two  reporters;  and  in  the  public  service  fifteen  are  letter- 
carriers  and  ten  policemen,  and  nineteen  are  railway  con- 
ductors. 

In  other  spheres  of  usefulness  we  find  some  who  are 
merchants  and  dealers,  some  manufacturers,  twenty-five 
foremen  of  various  kinds,  fifty-six  printers  and  four  proof- 
readers; twenty-four  are  plumbers,  either  employers  or 
journeymen;  twenty-seven  carpenters  and  four  pattern- 
makers; twrenty  electricians,  seventeen  engineers,  thirteen 
engravers,  sixty-five  machinists,  three  tool-makers,  thirteen 
moulders,  eleven  tinsmiths,  ten  hatters,  ten  miners,  thirty 
paper-hangers  (nine  of  whom  are  employers),  twenty- 
nine  painters  (six  being  employers),  seventy  factory  hands, 
and  fifty-three  farmers.  Sixteen  are  cutters,  twelve  black- 
smiths, four  designers,  and'  one  is  a  sculptor;  five  are 
florists  or  gardeners,  nineteen  are  packers  and  shippers, 
eleven  upholsterers,  thirteen  weavers,  six  undertakers  and 
embalmers,  and  fifteen  are  engaged  in  the  baking  or  con- 
fectionery business. 

Four  are  now  students  in  the  Williamson  Free  School 
of  Mechanical  Trades;  six  are  in  the  United  States  Navy, 
three  are  seamen,  and  two  are  in  the  United  States  Army 
(one  of  whom  is  a  lieutenant);  and  one  is  a  Commissioner 
of  Immigration,  one  a  Deputy  Collector  of  Customs,  one 
a  Deputy  Recorder  of  Deeds,  and  one  is  a  tipstaff. 

Appended  to  the  above  report  is  a  schedule  showing  the 
nativity  of  parents  of  boys  admitted  to  the  College  from 
January  i,  1870,  to  December  31,  1897, — 4521  in  number: 

12 


182 


SEMI-CENTENNIAL    OF    GIRARD    COLLEGE. 


Father. 

Mother. 

United  States    

,     .     .     .     2891 

3109 

Ireland  

...        576 

565 

Germany  .    .    .    .    v    , 

.    -    -      549 

424 

England    

...      283 

222 

Wales    

63 

68 

Scotland    

...        47 

62 

France  

,    .    .    .        27 

22 

Switzerland  

,    .    .    .         14 

9 

Canada  

...         ii 

8 

Cuba  

.    .    .    .          8 

3 

Italy  , 

.    .    .    .          8 

2 

Sweden     

.    .    .    .          6 

3 

Nova  Scotia      

.    .    .    .         5 

2 

Russia  

.    .    •    .         5 

2 

Norway     

.   .    .   .         5 

2 

Holland    

.   -    .   .         5 

I 

Denmark  .    

.    .    .    .          3 

I 

Austria      

-....-          3 

2 

Palestine  

.     .     .     .              2 

2 

Portugal    

.     .     .     .              2 

O 

South  America     

.     .              I 

I 

Mexico      •».... 

.     .     .     .              0 

2 

West  Indies      

.     .     .     .              O 

I 

Newfoundland     

.    .    .    .          o 

I 

Belgium    

.   .    .   .         I 

0 

East  Indies  

.    .    .    .          o 

I 

Australia  

.    .    .    .          o 

I 

On  shipboard    

.     .     .     .              0 

I 

Not  recorded  

.    .    .    .          6 

4 

4521      4521 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


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WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
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21 


LD  21-100m-7,'39(402s) 


